Viewpoint: Montana needs a strong woman to represent in Congress

Montana has long been associated with big skies, open spaces, freedoms, and liberties. Ryan Zinke, however, has a different vision for Montana - a dangerous one that denies half a million Montana women the liberty and autonomy to control their own bodies. 

While Zinke believes females are inferior to our male counterparts, we know our Montana women to be a sign of strength and independence. We climb mountains, row rapids, raise herds, and bail hay. We deserve to be treated equally to the men we work alongside, and that includes the freedom to make decisions on our own reproductive health. The first woman elected to Congress was a strong, Montana woman herself, that relentlessly stood up for women’s rights, and is to thank for our protections in the first place.

Zinke’s shameful voting record is an assault on women’s rights, health care, and reproductive freedom. He’s repeatedly voted against abortion services, in favor of defunding family planning organizations that provide preventative care and cancer screenings, and has been endorsed by anti-choice groups. A woman’s medical decisions are her own to make, not a politician’s.

Montana is already facing an endemic of abuse and violence against Indigenous women. Stripping the reproductive freedoms of Indigenous women and blocking access to safe and legal abortions will only perpetuate domestic violence against both mothers and children, derailing educational and career-focused pursuits and placing a greater financial burden on the shoulders of struggling mothers. 

Montana is the only refuge left for reproductive freedom in the Rocky Mountain West, and it’s up to us to vote in leaders that will protect the rights of all Montanans. 

California-Zinke doesn’t represent Montanans, and certainly not Montana women. The only choice for women's rights and our freedoms this election is Monica Tranel.