Helena, MT – Julianna Crowley, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Montana the political leaders of the pro-choice movement in Montana, called former Congressman Rick Hill's history of voting against women's health care and making out of touch public comments about reproductive and privacy rights, too excessive for Montana.

"Former Congressman Rick Hill's extreme anti-choice record shows just how serious a threat it would be for the women of Montana if he was elected Governor,” Crowley said. "He has cast 57 votes on reproductive rights while in Congress receiving a zero percent voting record from NARAL Pro-Choice America in1998, 1999 and 2000 and a 3% in 1997. Hill co-sponsored the "Right to Life Act” of 1997 and 1999, both of which gave personhood status to a fetus, defining life at the moment of fertilization and, if passed and enacted into law, would have ended legal abortion and ban several of the most common forms of birth control. Montanans have rejected to qualify a similar personhood measure for our ballot three years in a row. The Hill ticket is too dangerous for Montana women's health and too extreme to represent this state.”

Hill's anti-choice record also includes:

• Repeatedly voting to deny women in the military – who defend our freedom overseas – and dependents the right to use their own, private funds for abortion care at military hospitals.

• Repeatedly voting against international family-planning programs.
• Publically stating that he opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest.

Hill extends his anti-choice position beyond abortion rights to include attacks on women's health insurance premium rates. Hill has publically stated that he supports repealing Montana's non-gender insurance law, which prevents insurance companies from discrimination based on gender. In Montana, insurance plans must cover birth control, mammograms, and maternity care. If repealed, it would eliminate current mandates for maternity care and contraceptive coverage in health insurance plans and would allow insurers to charge men and women different premiums based on gender. In other words insurance rates for women will dramatically increase.

The governor of Montana wields more power over reproductive rights than any other person in state government. Depending on who occupies the office, its unique authority to veto legislation or determine a budget that includes family planning can be used either to protect or to take away reproductive rights. In 2011, Governor Schweitzer vetoed 5 anti-choice bills. The next governor may also face the decision to veto anti-choice bills or let them pass into law.

"As Montanans absorb the outrageous comments made by Missouri Rep. Akin recently, it only reminds us of why elections matter when it comes to our ability to make personal and private medical decisions,” Crowley continued. "The outcome of the 2012 gubernatorial election very well could determine whether abortion and birth control remain accessible for the next generation of Montanans. Hill has campaigned on his anti-choice stance, one that will take away a woman's right to make private medical decisions. My organization's priority is to make sure Steve Bullock wins this November.”

NARAL Pro-Choice Montana PAC has endorsed Steve Bullock in his bid for Governor.

Contact: Julianna Crowley 406.449.8193, 406.240.9225