HELENA, Mont. - The Montana State Legislature's Law and Justice Interim Committee will be holding a meeting tomorrow to discuss a proposed constitutional initiative.
Typically, all citizen ballot initiatives, once approved, go to a state legislative interim committee to review, however that isn't the case with Constitutional Initiative 14.
That is because the Montana Supreme Court deemed it not necessary to go before a legislative committee.
Senate President, Jason Ellsworth (R, Hamilton) says, "The Montana Supreme Court seems determined to cut the Legislature and public comment out of the process and give this initiative special treatment over all other initiatives that have been proposed in the past three years."
Senate republicans tell Non-Stop Local the supreme court is treating this initiative differently and they are working to treat it the same as any other initiative.
“The Montana Supreme Court can say what it wants to say, but the Legislature is proceeding with our normal public process on the initiative,” said Rep. Amy Regier (R, Kalispell), the chair of the Law and Justice Interim Committee.
Democratic leaders gave the same response when the meeting was first announced on April 5, and Minority Leaders Pat Flowers (D, Belgrade) and Kim Abbott (D, Helena) say, "The statutory language is clear, and the court order is clear: this committee meeting is unnecessary. If Republicans want to discuss Montanans' access to abortion care, they can do that at any regularly scheduled meeting."
According to the Secretary of States Website, ballot initiative 14:
A constitutional initiative that would amend the Montana Constitution to expressly provide a right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion.
It would prohibit the government from denying or burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability.
It would also prohibit the government from denying or burdening access to an abortion when a treating healthcare professional determines it is medically indicated to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health.
The initiative would prevent the government from penalizing patients, healthcare providers, or anyone who assists someone in exercising their right to make and carry out voluntary decisions about their pregnancy.
