Montana's CI-128: A pivotal vote on reproductive rights this election season

In Montana — and in the U.S. at large — one of the most pressing issues on the ballot this election is reproductive rights.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 — which ended the federal right to abortion — ignited much of the current discourse. This election season, Montana’s Constitutional Initiative No. 128 (CI-128) aims to amend reproductive rights within Montana’s constitution, ensuring the right for individuals to “make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion,” as per the ballot’s language. 

Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights (MSRR) is one of the local, citizen-led organizations encouraging Montanans to vote yes on the initiative. It is composed of over 500 volunteers who have banded together to ensure the passing of CI-128, according to its website. 

“Voting yes on [CI-128] protects our rights and keeps Montanans — not the government — in charge of private medical decisions about pregnancy and abortion,” MSRR Spokesperson Ashley All said.

All stated that in certain situations — pregnancies resulting from rape, incest, or birth control failure — or if a pregnant person’s life is at risk, abortion should be an option. “If [CI-128] fails, Montanans could lose the right to make our own private decisions about pregnancy and abortion,” she said. “No matter how you feel about abortion, women deserve to make these decisions without judgment.” 

“CI-128 is the constitutional initiative for, technically, the right to privacy,” said Jen Anderson, a leadership member of Montana College Democrats. “Many of our other protections, such as IVF and similar healthcare procedures, are protected under the right to privacy. If [CI-128] gets passed, it then gets enshrined in our state's constitution. That’s the coolest part about this initiative — it isn’t just a bill, it isn’t just a law, it’s not something that can then go get overturned in the courts.”

Anderson then explained the potential consequences of criminalizing abortion. “When you make abortion illegal, clinics have to shut down, and these clinics provide so, so, so much more than just abortion. Here in Bozeman, we are lucky to have BridgerCare. If you don’t have health insurance, that is the only place most people can go for things like [sexually transmitted disease] testing, or birth control, or all of those adjacent medical procedures. When those clinics get shut down, you’re removing access and therefore increasing the risk that someone does have to have an abortion. It’s counterintuitive,” she said.

At the opposite end of the issue, the organization Montanans For Life (MFL) aims to “engage in educational, charitable and legislative action that affirms the inherent dignity and right to life of every human being from the moment of conception to natural death,” said MFL Chair Robin Sertell. 

“CI-128 is a proposed amendment to the Montana state constitution that would, if passed, allow for abortion through all nine months of pregnancy at taxpayer expense,” Sertell said. “The health and safety of both patients — the mother and baby — are of utmost concern to us at MFL.”

Additionally, Sertell mentioned various emotional risks of abortion, stating that people who have had abortions, on average, experience higher rates of depression and anxiety and may struggle with feelings of shame and guilt post-procedure. She then explained the physical risks of abortion. “It’s not uncommon for women to hemorrhage during the abortion, or have their uterus or bowel perforated during a surgical abortion,” she said.

Ultimately, every speaker from each side could agree on one thing: Making an informed vote is paramount this election season. 

Visit https://votemt.gov/to learn about ballot measures and make your voice heard in this election.