'Freeda Womb' makes appearance in Billings as CI-128 looms on ballot

It's something that's quite hard to miss, a 20-foot Intrauterine Device (IUD) named "Freeda Womb."

Mack Carmack, MTN News

It's representing not only contraceptives, but also reproductive healthcare.

"With these bill that pass, and every new law that comes in to play, we are taking away providers, and making access to care for women harder, and harder to get," says Brooke Cadwell, a nurse, midwife, and reproductive-rights advocate.

Mack Carmack, MTN News

In Montana, CI-128 is a constitutional initiative on the November ballot that would explicitly provide rights for a woman to make decisions about a pregnancy, including abortion.

Caldwell says abortion access should be protected by the government.

"Women's care, in general, across the country, is an area of care that is under attack," she said.

For anti-abortion groups, like the Montana Family Foundation (MFF) , CI-128 is a bill that will hurt unborn babies and mothers-to-be.

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"What this is really about is a radical expansion of abortion in Montana. It's about allowing for later-term abortion of pain-capable babies," said Derek Oestreicher, the chief legal council for MFF.

Abortion rights have long been protected against challenges in Montana. Voters rejected the latest attempt in 2022, rejecting Legislative Referendum 131, known as the Born-Alive referendum .

At Wednesday's rally, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates Martha Fuller knew the decision on those rights would fall on voters' shoulders this fall.

Mack Carmack, MTN News

"It's really important that we are able to make decisions about our own healthcare, of course. Here in Montana, we are really unique in how we think about our privacy and our ability to make decisions," she said.

On the opposition, Matthew Brower said, "It's opening the doors through ambiguous terms, very ambiguous language, to an entire range of procedures that are not really in step with what people in Montana want."

Mack Carmack, MTN News

Brower is with the executive director of the Montana Catholic Conference (MCC) Social Advocacy . The organization has been very vocal this election cycle about its opposition to CI-128.

"Well, I think CI-128 is a dangerous proposal for our state. I think that given what it sets before the people of Montana, it would lead to a lot of really problematic things," Brower said.

"I think about future generations of Montana, and making sure that we are protecting their right to make personal decisions about abortion moving forward," Fuller said.

If CI-128 wasn't on voters' minds already, "Freeda Womb" made sure it is now.