Election officials in Montana certified an abortion rights question for its November ballot and the Arizona Supreme Court turned away a legal challenge, allowing a similar measure to go before voters. This week's decisions mean citizens in at least eight states will be deciding abortion measures this fall, potentially attracting even more voters to the polls in an election where the presidency, control of Congress and some key state contests are also on the line. There have been legal fights across the country on whether to allow voters to decide these questions — and the exact words used on the ballots and explanatory material.
The U.S. Supreme Court removed the nationwide right to abortion in 2022, launching a national push to have voters decide.
Most Republican-controlled states have passed abortion restrictions since then, including 14 that ban it at every stage of pregnancy. Most Democratic-led states have laws or executive orders to protect access. Voters in all seven states that have had abortion questions before voters since 2022 — California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio and Vermont — have sided with abortion rights supporters.
MONTANA Montana's secretary of state announced Tuesday that an abortion question had qualified for its ballot. If it passes, it would amend the state constitution to bar the government from denying the right to abortion before viability — generally considered to be about 23 or 24 weeks' gestational age — or when it is ne.