On Second Anniversary of Supreme Court Overturning Roe v. Wade, Tester Highlights Work to Protect Montanans’ Freedom to Make Personal Health Care Decisions

Joined by local health care providers and advocates, Tester discusses support for legal medication and in-vitro fertilization;

Senator: “Montanans sent me to Washington to fight for freedom and privacy”

On the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today spoke in Bozeman to reiterate his longstanding efforts to defend Montanans’ freedoms and privacy to make their own personal health care decisions.

Tester was joined by local health care providers and advocates including Hanna Crosby, a local oncology nurse, Brooke Cadwell, a certified nurse midwife at Bozeman Health Women’s Specialists Clinic, Tracie Weiss, project director for Montana Family Planning, and Katie Tobin, an Army veteran. Tester outlined his strong support for legislation that would guarantee the right to privacy for women making personal health care decisions, including recent votes to safeguard the right to access contraception and in-vitro fertilization (IVF).

“Here in Montana, folks of all stripes don’t want the government telling them what to do. We believe in a right to privacy so much so that we enshrined it in our state’s constitution,” said Tester. “That right to privacy includes ensuring women get to make their own health care decisions. Not a judge. Not a politician. And certainly not the federal government. Montanans sent me to Washington to fight for freedom and privacy, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”

“Two months ago, my [daughter] was born, and she was conceived via IVF,” said Hanna Crosby, a local oncology nurse. “It is utterly heartbreaking to me that politicians would decide to interfere with this right. The right for me to go to the doctor with the hope to have the family I always dreamed of.”

“What we know unequivocally is that women’s health is tied to the health of the nation. When women’s health is not valued and protected, our nation suffers,” said Brooke Caldwell, a certified nurse midwife at Bozeman Health Women’s Specialists Clinic. “I’m really thankful for Senator Tester because this is something that is near and dear to Montanans’ hearts.” 

“Four weeks ago, our team was in Washington D.C. to talk to our Montana delegates about the Right to Contraception Act and why it’s important for Montana, a state where 51 of the 56 counties are considered ‘health professional shortage areas,’” said Tracie Weiss, project director for Montana Family Planning. “Senator Tester and his team understood immediately why the right to contraception is important to our rural, frontier, and Tribal communities…I’m here today to thank the Senator for cosponsoring the Right to Contraception Act and defending reproductive freedom.” 

“We had to make the decision for the betterment of our family that we had to pay [for IVF treatment] out of pocket rather than wait for the VA to catch up with us,” said Katie Tobin, an Army veteran. “It is so important to have expansion of care for veterans so that we are able to have that care because I am not the only one. Veterans experience infertility at much higher rates… We deserve to have that care too.”

Tester has led the fight to ensure that Montana women have freedom to make health care decisions as well as access to safe and effective health care, and highlighted several of his efforts at today’s event.

Tester is a strong supporter of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would guarantee the right to privacy for women making personal healthcare decisions by codifying Roe v. Wade. Tester is an original co-sponsor of the Right to Contraception Act, which would guarantee the right for individuals to obtain and use contraceptives, and for health providers to prescribe contraceptives and give information related to contraception. Earlier this month, Tester cosponsored the Right to IVF Act, which would safeguard Montanans, servicemembers, and veterans’ access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology.

Last year, Tester sent a letter to Walgreens and CVS’ executives pressing the companies to take immediate action to ensure that all women, including those in rural areas like Montana, have access to safe and effective health care. Tester’s letter came in response to Walgreens’ decision limiting the sale of mifepristone and misoprostol, even in states like Montana where the medications are legal. Tester’s pushback was successful – after sending his letter, CVS and Walgreens announced they planned to become certified and offer mifepristone and misoprostol in states like Montana where laws would allow pharmacies to dispense it. Tester has also signed onto bicameral amicus briefs calling on the Supreme Court to reject a decision that would restrict access to mifepristone.