After 100 Years, We Are Still Marching
I began my career as a neonatal intensive care nurse and saw the impact that public health policies had on the most vulnerable families. As a state legislator and practicing attorney today, I have been dedicated to improving outcomes for Montana’s women and children. I led the charge to strengthen sex trafficking penalties and protect its victims. I fought for lowering the cost of prescription medication and expanding Medicaid, so that those in need can access vital health services. I have been involved in public policy because there is still so much left to do. In the spirit of commemorating the third anniversary of the Women’s March and the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I want to highlight actions I believe necessary to ensuring the health and safety of Montana’s women and families for generations to come.
Over the past few years, a woman’s right to a safe and legal reproductive health care has been under scrutiny and attack. Two of the three members of our congressional delegation signed onto a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider overturning Roe v. Wade. In the Montana legislature, we have had several legislative attempts over the past eight years, including bills this past session, to limit women’s reproductive healthcare access. I have vocally opposed all of them as a danger to women’s lives and violation of the right to privacy, guaranteed by our state constitution.
In Montana, violence against women has not been adequately addressed. We must continue to push for policies to stop it. Nationally, 1 in 4 girls will be sexually assaulted before age 18 and 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted or raped in their lifetime. A great majority of the women in my life are sexual assault survivors who did not report the crimes perpetrated against them — this is more common than many believe. We need to do better to protect women and future generations of girls, my own daughters included, from harm. We must ensure that recent, positive legal changes I have championed with many others are enforced, such as clearer sexual consent laws so that individuals affirmatively agree to sexual contact and improved consent laws making it clear that a minor student cannot consent to having sexual relations with an authority figure at school. In criminal cases, my policy work has resulted in better protections, especially for children. The “grooming” behavior that occurs prior to sexual abuse is now illegal. I also fought to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for allowing prosecutions against those who sexually abuse children. We still have work to do — we must push for reauthorization of the Violence Against Women’s Act.
Our national failure to protect Native American women requires particular attention. Seeing a lack of statewide leadership on this issue, I was part of the legislature last year that passed three bills, carried by Rep. Rae Peppers, to address the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Hanna’s Act gives funding for the state Department of Justice to hire a missing persons specialist to help improve searches for missing Montanans. In conjunction, Montana law enforcement must accept missing persons reports without delay and complete an accurate profile of cases unsolved after 30 days, and reports of those missing, younger than 21, must be entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database within two hours.
Women in the United States are not guaranteed equal rights to men — and it shows. Every day women are paid a fraction of what men are paid for doing equal work. Every day women are sexually assaulted. Every day women are discriminated against. Every day men are provided with privileges whether through nepotism or ingrained sexism that women are not afforded. And every day women are not treated equally. It is past time we ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Montana ratified this Amendment in 1974. As of 2020, we finally have the required number of states to ratify it and have it added as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In the Women’s Marches, we march as a statement of our refusal to have women’s rights on the chopping block. It is not just an issue for women and girls; it is a human rights issue — all citizens have the right to be treated equally — regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or identity. Some women may have gained the right to vote 100 years ago, but that right was not granted to all women then and the struggle for equality is far from over. This year is a reminder of the gains of past activism and struggle and the work ahead to continually improve for the future. We hold a responsibility for our own communities to demand better. I hope you will join me.
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Kimberly Dudik, (“Kim Dudik”)
Kimberly Dudik has served the people of Montana as a registered nurse specializing in neonatal intensive care, a substitute judge, a Deputy Gallatin County Attorney, and an Assistant Montana Attorney General. Kimberly is proven fighter who delivers results that matter to citizens. She has served for four terms in the state Legislature fighting for meaningful campaign finance, child welfare, and criminal justice reforms. She can be reached at dudikformontana@gmail.com. She is Founder and CEO of Kimberly Dudik & Associates, co-founder of the Public Policy Institute of the Rockies, and creator of the REFORM Podcast. Her leadership includes her work as past Chairperson for the Legislative Finance Committee, Past Chairperson for the Council of State Governments West, and Past Chairwoman of the National Foundation for Women Legislators.
