Viewpoint: Sheehy doesn’t understand value of privacy, choice

Deborah Frandsen

As a former Executive Director of Planned Parenthood of Missoula, I know how critical it is for Montanans to have access to safe and reliable reproductive health care. I also know as a Montanan how important our personal freedoms are to our values.

Making the choice to have an abortion is a deeply personal decision that should happen between a woman and her health care provider - without the government getting involved.

Candidate Tim Sheehy clearly does not understand the Montana value of personal privacy. Sheehy has called abortion “murder,” and is endorsed by an extreme anti-abortion group that supports a national abortion ban.

He has even refused to support federal legislation to protect access to IVF treatment. And most recently, Sheehy doubled down on his own support for a national abortion ban.

Sheehy can’t see that most Montanans support protecting access to all reproductive health care services, including abortion. This is a man who doesn’t understand how important protecting reproductive freedom and privacy is to our state.

Simply said, he should not represent us. We need to re-elect Senator Jon Tester, who has always been a champion for Montanans’ reproductive freedom.