By MARILYNN MILLER
and GERALDINE BECK
Guest columnists
In early March, Montana House Judiciary Committee Chair Barry Usher made a public statement equating the role of women to that of female wildlife as “nurturers and birthers.” Usher’s ridiculously narrow view of the contributions of women is sadly emblematic of the regressive attitudes and actions of the legislative majority during the 2021 session. Never mind that 74% of Montana women are in the workforce, or that 48 Montana legislators, both Republican and Democrat, are women.
Ironically, much of the majority has been disingenuously promoting an anti-women and anti-human rights agenda under the guise of “protecting” and “defending” their female constituents.
Montana National Organization for Women (MT NOW) challenges that duplicitous claim and stands firmly against legislation that harms women, families, and those most marginalized.
MT NOW is a nonprofit, nonpartisan women’s and human rights organization composed of diverse statewide members whose purpose is to take action through intersectional grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, further gender and racial justice, eliminate discrimination and violence, and achieve and protect the equal rights of women, girls, and marginalized populations in every aspect of social, economic and political life.
In the midst of a pandemic and economic crisis, the 2021 Montana Legislature has not been primarily focused on jobs and growth but on passing bills that expand the presence of guns — when intimate partner violence is rising — including conceal-carry nearly everywhere. They’ve been busy trying to criminalize mostly female heads of impoverished households for the 0.0017% of alleged welfare fraud (Senate Bill 100); curtail women’s reproductive health care and access to legal abortion (29 bills introduced); limit sex education in schools (Senate Bill 99); and discriminate against transgender youth in health care (House Bill 427) and in school team sports (House Bill 112). The legislative majority is overreaching with a proposed “Personhood” Constitutional
Amendment of that gives fertilized eggs more rights than women (House Bill 337); and they are redefining religious freedom to mean the right to discriminate against anyone (Senate Bill 215).
Instead, bills that would actually protect and advance the human rights of women, girls, and vulnerable populations, like increasing the minimum wage (House Bill 284); advancing paid family and medical leave (House Bill 228); and providing tax credit for secure firearm storage and gun safety measures (House Bill 409), are being defeated. Bills we also supported to advance Indigenous justice, like Senate Bill 94 to establish a Montana Indigenous People’s Day, that are foundational for addressing and preventing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, were also defeated.
Damaging and dangerous legislation can be difficult to ferret out when innocuous sounding and misleading language is used to describe these discriminatory bills. HB112 will “Save Women’s
Sports.” Gun rights in HB102 are justified by insisting women can now arm themselves to kill their attackers (many of whom they know). “Protection” for women from mislabeled “unsafe and uninformed” telemedical abortion prescriptions (HB171) can actually harm our mental and physical health, threaten privacy in rural towns and require long-distance, perhaps unaffordable, travel.
What can be done? Persist, resist and be heard by showing up virtually at leg.mt.gov.
Support remaining Bills that provide social protections of women’s and girls’ human rights (House bills 35, 36, 98, 221, 235, 310 and Senate bills 4, 250, 357), and continue to oppose bills that threaten them. Hold elected Montana representatives accountable now and after the session. Follow timely Legislative alerts on Montana NOW’s Facebook page and join us at Montana NOW www.now.org
Please begin to think about 2022. Consider running for the Legislature yourself and plan to actively support women’s and human rights champions candidates.
Marilynn Miller and Geraldine Beck are officers of Montana NOW and members of its executive committee
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Guest Editorial 3/24/21