Marjorie Dannenfelser - President, Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America | Official website

The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) will hold a hearing this afternoon in Helena, Montana, on proposed safety rules for abortion facilities. These regulations are modeled after those already in place for surgical centers and healthcare facilities. The hearing follows the recent news that the state’s parental consent law has been struck down under a lawsuit from Planned Parenthood.

Retired board-certified OB-GYN and former abortionist Dr. Kathi Aultman is set to testify at today’s hearing. In an op-ed published by the Daily Inter Lake, Aultman emphasized the importance of these basic proposed rules for women's safety.

“No one who cares about patient safety and the provision of quality care should object to these proposed rules," Aultman wrote. "These health and safety regulations do not stop abortions from happening any more than similar regulations stop medical facilities from providing care. Abortion centers should not be exempt from the regulations imposed on similar medical facilities that are designed to protect patients."

Aultman further criticized the abortion industry for opposing straightforward regulations such as annual inspections, having lit exit pathways, and ensuring a facility director is in good standing.

SBA Pro-Life America State Policy Director Katie Daniel will also testify at the hearing. Ahead of her testimony, Daniel stated:

“Abortion ballot measures proposed in Montana and other states would eliminate health and safety protections for women – even basic rules such as what DPHHS has proposed. The amendments that are deceptively branded as women’s health care will land more women in the ER by giving abortion businesses a free pass from having to adhere to even the most basic regulations that outpatient surgical centers and healthcare facilities have to follow.”

Daniel highlighted recent legal actions taken by Planned Parenthood and other organizations against health protections for women following legislative changes in Michigan and Ohio.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a network of over one million pro-life Americans nationwide dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special focus on promoting pro-life women leaders.