Arizona Pro-Abortion Rights, a ballot initiative that seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution, held a press conference and protest in April during a recess for the Arizona House legislative session to denounce Arizona House Republicans and the 1864 abortion ban Held on December 17, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Proposals to add abortion rights to the constitutions of Arizona and Montana are on the ballot in those states in November, potentially affecting the outcome of presidential and congressional races in those states.
On Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court actually allowed the ballot measure to proceed as planned, ruling that the docket used to collect signatures on the measure was valid.
Also on Tuesday, the Montana Secretary of State’s office confirmed that abortion rights supporters had secured enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot.
Arizona and Montana join six other states where abortion rights measures will be on the ballot this fall.
Arizona is considered a key swing state in the 2024 presidential election.
Four years ago, President Joe Biden narrowly defeated then-President Donald Trump in Arizona, helping secure the Democratic Party’s victory in the Electoral College.
In Montana, incumbent three-term Democratic Senator Jon Tester is facing a serious challenge from Republican candidate and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy. If Shea defeats Tester, it could help Republicans gain majority control of the Senate.
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the half-century-old ruling in Roe v. Wade, which said the federal Constitution provided a right to abortion.
The decision, backed by three justices nominated by Republican Trump, opens the door for states to enact their own restrictions on abortion access.
But the decision has also been accused of hurting Republican congressional candidates’ chances in 2022.
The measures have passed law even in conservative states, after seven states that put abortion rights on the ballot before this year.
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