The campaign for Montana’s lone House seat is going strong, with Democrat Rob Quist and Republican Greg Gianforte meeting in a debate Saturday night. The contrast is stark.
Gianforte’s response to a debate question about whether he supports de-funding Planned Parenthood – a nonprofit that provides reproductive health care to women, as well as abortions in some clinics – mirrored the answer he gave during a joint appearance with Quist at the Independent Record’s editorial board meeting Friday.
“I don’t think that … tax dollars should be used to pay for abortion. … I don’t believe that organization has been a particularly good steward of resources, so yes I would,” he said at the editorial board meeting.
Gianforte said the only time abortion should be allowed is when a woman’s life is in jeopardy. “I don’t think the government should get in between that. But that’s the only exception I would make.”
What to address first? The fact that federal dollars do not go to abortion through Planned Parenthood funding (what he’s opposing right there is funding for things like birth control and cancer screenings), or the lack of rape or incest exemptions in Gianforte’s opposition to abortion? Whatever you start with, the conclusion is the same: he’s an extremist.
Quist, on the other hand, said there needs to be a resistance to “the assault on women’s reproductive rights.”
“I think those decisions are between a woman and her faith and her doctor and no one else. No one else has the right to know.”
Gianforte said he supported medical marijuana, while Quist supports marijuana legalization, because “To me the war on drugs has been an abject failure,” and “I think the majority of Montanans and Americans agree they would like to see the decriminalization go forward and not criminalize people for something that should not be criminal.”
The election is May 25. Can you give $5 to Rob Quist?