HELENA – The attorney general has approved ballot language for a proposed change to the constitution aimed at restricting abortions.
Constitutional Initiative 102 defines a “person” as being at the beginning of a human being’s biological development. A similar proposal fell short in 2008 of getting the required number of signatures for the ballot.
Abortion foes will now have to start that process over to qualify for the 2010 ballot. It would take more than 40,000 petition signatures. Backers say similar efforts are under way in other states.
Opponents call the proposal an extremist measure that runs afoul of women’s right to privacy and is rife with unintended consequences. They also argue the ballot language is misleading.