The measure would affirm the right to abortion in the State Constitution. Democrats hope that it will help Senator Jon Tester in his bid for re-election.
Supporters of abortion rights hailed the ruling on a challenge they said was fueled by junk science, but warned that it only maintained the status quo as more challenges loomed.
The court on Friday unanimously reversed a ruling that had expanded the definition of what counts as a medical emergency under the state���s strict abortion ban.
The word choice is not merely a question of semantics but gets to the heart of the ultimate goal of the anti-abortion movement: fetal personhood, and prohibiting abortion entirely.
Liberal activists are proposing a ballot measure that would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state Constitution. Republicans in the State Legislature are considering plans to undermine it.