Montana
Protect reproductive choice in Montana
My name is Susan Cahill. I am a retired family practice physician assistant who provided first trimester abortions in Kalispell as part of family practice starting in 1976 until my office was destroyed in 2014.
I worked for and with Dr. James Armstrong for 25 years. Dr. Armstrong vowed to offer abortions as part of his family practice when and if it became legal, after witnessing women dying from illegal abortions daily while he was in medical training in New York City.
I made the same commitment as a first-year physician assistant student in Queens General Hospital in New York City, when I cared for young inner city girls, 10 and 11 years old in labor and screaming for their mothers, after having been raped by their stepfathers, or brothers or a family friend, when abortion was still not legal.
I am proud of my work. I am also proud of having been a small part of the signature gathering for CI-128, the, citizen’s initiative that will provide a constitutionally protected right to reproductive choice into the Montana Constitution.
Because of this bill you will hear lots of lies about abortion from those claiming the moral high ground, including our governor. So here are the facts:
Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures in the United States. 81% of all abortions occur at nine weeks of pregnancy or earlier. Of these, 63% are medication abortions, which use medicines to induce bleeding. It is like having a miscarriage and it can be done in the privacy of a woman’s own home.
94% of all abortions are done within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. 3% of abortions are done at 16-20 weeks, and 0.9% are done 21 weeks or more. These late term abortions are done due to severe fetal anomaly or threats to the life of the mother. All of these procedures are done because of the expressed wishes of the woman, and her family if that is her situation. Every abortion decision is as individual as the woman.
I have known women who have picketed my office because I offer abortion services, then come to me for an abortion when they found themselves in a challenging situation in their life. I understand this. Life is hard, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness is essential and personal. In our hearts, we all know this to be true.
Because of the radicalization of the Republican Party, not only is abortion under attack but also access to IVF and contraception. The ability to make decisions for ourselves and our life keep getting more difficult.
Not a single Republican candidate in Montana and at the national level will stand up and vote to protect women’s choice.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Jon Tester and Monica Tranell have all committed to protecting a women’s right to reproductive choice. Please vote this fall for women and families to have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, for themselves and their families. Please vote for choice.
Susan Cahill is a retired family practice physician assistant. She lives in Kalispell.
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Clark Fork River has long been a defining feature of Missoula, shaping the city’s culture, economy and outdoor lifestyle.
The river is so closely tied to the area that it helped inspire the well-known book and film “A River Runs Through It.” But local conservation advocates say its importance goes far beyond scenery.
“Without the Clark Fork River, Missoula would just be another town,” said Lisa Ronald, Northern Rockies associate conservation director for American Rivers. “We wouldn’t be the River City. I think we’re known in Montana as Missoula the River City, and it’s really because of the Clark Fork River and its central role in business, in economics, in recreation, that really makes Missoula the town that it is.”
Carmen Murill, a field organizer with Wild Montana, said the river is deeply woven into daily life for people who live in Missoula.
“A lot of us would wonder what to do on a beautiful or a rainy summer day,” Murill said. “I mean, it’s really a lifeforce of town. And I think it’s pretty unique that Missoula, as a community is living and breathing on both sides of the river. It’s really like two downtowns but connected by the Clark Fork.”
Conservation groups say protecting the river begins with community involvement.
Advocates encourage residents and visitors to spend time outdoors, whether on a trail, in the woods or along the river, and to learn how they can become better stewards of the environment.
MISSOULA — Sam Forstag edged out Ryan Busse to secure the Democratic nomination in Montana’s 1st Congressional District.
Busse conceded the race to Forstag on Wednesday morning. Forstag had trailed behind Busse Tuesday evening, but he made up ground as the votes were counted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. The other two candidates in the race, Russl Cleveland and Matt Rains, are sitting at third and fourth, respectively.
Forstag leads in close race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District
Forstag spent eight years as a wildland firefighter, including four as a smokejumper, and he’s been vice president of the local National Federation of Federal Employees union. Last week, U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, held a rally in Missoula to support Forstag’s campaign.
He told MTN on Tuesday that his campaign has been for the working class.
“We got a whole lot of people here that have been working their tail off to finally get some working-class representation in Washington,” Forstag noted. “So proud of everything we’ve done and so grateful.”
Forstag further noted he wants Montanans to be able to afford groceries, have universal free childcare and restore and expand Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.
“Hearing people’s stories and struggles and commonalities in the ways that we’re all fighting in the system that does not serve us so often, and the government serves corporations and the richest people in this country more than working people. It has been frustrating and saddening, but it has also inspired so much hope in me, like the fixes we can actually make,” he told MTN.
The 1st Congressional District covers much of western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is currently held by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, who chose not to seek reelection.
By securing the nomination, Forstag is slated tol face off against Libertarian candidate Nick Sheedy and Republican candidate Aaron Flint in November.
Brian Miller won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s eastern district.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller, an attorney in Helena, who fended off a challenge from state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a longtime legislator from Box Elder, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls.
In the Republican and rural eastern district, any Democrat will be an underdog, and Miller will face off against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed Tuesday.
Libertarian Patrick McCracken is also running.
In the primary, Miller took 58% of the vote. Lux took 27% and Windy Boy took 16%, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website.
In April, Windy Boy paused his campaign amid “serious sexual abuse” allegations raised by the Montana Democratic Party — but Windy Boy restarted his campaign and later called the allegations “political attacks.”
Miller is representing the victim of the alleged abuse and her mother, although he said he didn’t take on the role until after Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign.
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