Outcry over women’s health puts Rehberg’s wrong priorities back in spotlight

Congressman helped pass bill that “threatens women’s health and lives”

BILLINGS, Mont.—The recent outcry over comments made against women’s health spotlights Congressman Dennis Rehberg’s wrong priorities when it comes to protecting the right of Montana women to make their own health care decisions.

Rehberg, who has a record for axing women’s access to care, cosponsored and helped pass the highly controversial H.R. 358 last fall. The bill would have allowed hospitals to deny care for women, even if their lives are in danger.

Rehberg’s bill “creates dangerous new rules that will harm women’s health—and even risk women’s lives,” according to the National Women’s Law Center.

Planned Parenthood said the bill would eliminate “protections for women seeking care in emergency situations.”

Dozens of national and local organizations including the American Nurses Association and the National Physician’s alliance urged Rehberg to reject H.R. 358.

Earlier this summer Rehberg made another attempt to hurt women’s access to health care. Rehberg recently introduced a spending proposal that guts funding for Title X, the initiative that serves 25,000 women every year.

“Women across Montana should be questioning why Dennis Rehberg is so committed to denying our right to health care,” said Montanans for Tester spokeswoman Alexandra Fetissoff. “Frankly, it’s scary how out-of-touch Dennis Rehberg is with women’s priorities.”

###