Constitutional abortion rights amendment cleared for signature gathering

After a week of legal scuffling, the campaign behind a constitutional amendment to explicitly protect abortion rights in Montana can begin collecting the tens of thousands of signatures it needs to put the proposal on the ballot this November.  The green light for the now-officially dubbed Constitutional Initiative-128, much anticipated by sponsor group Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights, came after Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen delivered a sample petition with the court-issued ballot language on Friday afternoon — minutes before the deadline ordered by the Montana Supreme Court