Two proposed state constitutional amendments are ready for supporters to start gathering signatures to qualify the measures for the 2008 ballot -- including one that could lead to outlawing abortion in Montana.

Constitutional Initiative 100 defines a person as "a human being at all stages of human development or life, including the state of fertilization," essentially saying that life begins at conception.

If CI-100 gets on the November 2008 ballot and is approved by voters, it likely would compel the state

Legislature to outlaw abortion, said its author and chief supporter, state Rep. Rick Jore of Ronan.

Jore, a Constitution Party member, said Monday it won't be easy getting enough signatures to qualify CI-100 for the ballot, but he's expecting strong support from opponents of abortion.

"I think we're going to have a lot of volunteers, as individuals, regardless of the organizations or associations that officially jump on," he said.

Those volunteers could include members of evangelical churches and Catholics, he said.

The other measure ready for signature-gathering is Constitutional Initiative 99, which would limit increases in residential property taxes to 1.5 percent a year.

CI-99 also would create an "acquisition-value" system of appraising homes for tax purposes, reappraising them only when they are sold to a new owner. The new value would be the purchase price or the assessed value, whichever is greater.

Each measure needs the signatures of 44,615 registered voters to qualify for the ballot, including signatures of at least 10 percent of the registered voters in at least 40 of Montana's 100 state House districts.

Supporters have until June 20 to turn in signatures on the two measures.

John McMenamin of Kalispell, chief organizer for CI-99, said Monday he thinks he has "a better than excellent" chance of qualifying the measure for the ballot.

"Based on the reaction I've received at this point, I don't see any problem at all in gathering the 45,000 signatures," he said.

McMenamin said he's established a Web site where people can download petitions and start gathering signatures.

Supporters of CI-100, the pro-life measure, have formed a ballot committee, Life for Montana, that will coordinate the campaign for the measure, Jore said.

CI-100 also has organized opposition, led by a coalition of civil- and reproductive-rights groups.

The Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is opposing CI-100, as is Planned Parenthood of Montana, NARAL Pro-Choice Montana and the Montana Human Rights Network.

Betsy Griffing, legal director for the Montana ACLU and a law professor at the University of Montana, said giving a human embryo the status of personhood and a "paramount" right to life would "wreak havoc with Montana's constitution," essentially allowing the Legislature to amend other parts of the constitution.

Allyson Hagen, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Montana, said the measure tramples Montana's constitutional right to privacy and enables politicians to make "private medical decisions regarding women's health."

Jore said opponents of CI-100 speak only about the privacy rights of the woman and not the child in the womb.

"Our approach goes right to the heart of this debate: Are we dealing with human life, or are we not?" Jore said. "If (an embryo) is indeed human life, which I strongly believe it is, then arguments on privacy, health care, et cetera, need to be focused on and in the context of two lives."

How the poll was conducted

IR State Bureau

The Lee Newspapers poll was conducted Dec. 17-19 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C., for the Billings Gazette, Montana Standard of Butte, Helena Independent Record, Missoulian and Ravalli Republic.

A total of 625 registered Montana voters were interviewed statewide by telephone. All said they regularly vote in state elections.

Pollsters interviewed 316 women for 51 percent of the sample and 309 men for 49 percent.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The margin of error is higher for any subgroup such as a gender sampling.

Those interviewed were selected by random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A cross section of telephone exchanges were used to ensure an accurate reflection of the state. Quotas were assigned to reflect the turnout by county.

Here is the breakdown of the 625 telephone calls for the survey:

- Eastern Montana area, 55 interviews in these 15 counties: Carter, Powder River, Rosebud, Custer, Fallon, Prairie, Wibaux, Dawson, Garfield, McCone, Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Daniels and Valley.

- Billings and southeastern Montana area, 125 interviews in these 11 counties: Yellowstone, Treasure, Big Horn, Carbon, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Wheatland, Golden Valley, Musselshell, Petroleum and Fergus.

- Great Falls and northcentral Montana area, 105 interviews in these 12 counties: Cascade, Meagher, Judith Basin, Teton, Chouteau, Phillips, Blaine, Hill, Liberty, Toole, Pondera and Glacier counties.

- Butte, Helena and Bozeman areas, 160 interviews in these 10 counties: Lewis and Clark, Powell, Broadwater, Jefferson, Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Beaverhead, Madison, Gallatin and Park counties.

- Missoula and Kalispell areas, 180 interviews in these eight counties: Missoula, Granite, Ravalli, Mineral, Sanders, Lake, Flathead and Lincoln counties.

When the newspapers finish publishing the stories based on the poll results, copies of the poll results may be purchased from polling company's Web site:

www.mason-dixon.com.