For Immediate Release: January 18, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
AGs in FL, AR, SD Call Out Abortion Industry’s Deception
Helena, Mont. – Abortion activists in Montana were dealt a blow this week as Attorney General Austin Knudsen blocked their unconstitutional efforts to put unlimited abortion on the ballot. In a memo, AG Knudsen outlined how the proposed Ballot Measure #14 violates Montana’s constitution by logrolling multiple choices into one initiative and precluding Montanans from passing future regulations on abortion.
Attorney General Knudsen says in the memo:
“First, voters’ views on abortion change dramatically based on the specific timeframe of pregnancy in which the abortion occurs. Second, states commonly treat physical and psychological conditions differently. States also commonly use qualifying language to clarify when an abortion is medically necessary. Ballot Measure 14 creates an express right to abortion but denies voters the ability to express their views on the nuance of the right.”
Similar to Montana, attorneys general in Florida, South Dakota and Arkansas are fulfilling their duty in guarding the public against deceptive ballot measures. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin is requiring activists to rewrite language because their proposed text was misleading. Ashley Moody called out the proposed abortion amendment as “one of the worst” she has seen in terms of language that misleads voters and questions why the sponsor has not provided any clarity on when the right to abortion ends. Earlier this month, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley admonished abortion activists for unlawful misconduct in deceiving voters to sign petitions. “Any suggestion that your proposed abortion amendment makes abortion legal only for the first trimester is contrary to the language of the proposed amendment,” said Jackley in a letter to Dakotans for Health.
SBA Pro-Life America’s Western Regional Director Adam Schwend shared his reaction:
“We thank Attorney General Austin Knudsen for standing against abortion activists’ deceptive and unconstitutional tactics. He along with Ashley Moody, Marty Jackley and Tim Griffin are faithfully carrying out their duties as they push for clarity and for laws to be followed in the ballot measure process. By enshrining a right to second- and third- trimester elective abortions, these ballot measures are extreme and way out of step with what the majority of Americans support.”
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a network of more than one million pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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