Planned Parenthood clinic set to open in Bozeman next summer

A Planned Parenthood clinic is set to open in Bozeman in 2027, according to a Sept. 8 Facebook post by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana. 

Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit corporation that provides patients with services such as STI testing, birth control, pap smears, emergency contraception, sex education and abortions through Telehealth or in-person appointments, according to its website. 

The clinic’s exact location is yet to be disclosed, but according to KBZK Bozeman News, it will be close to MSU and on a public transit line.

Student opinions on the opening of a new Planned Parenthood clinic have been mixed. Some have advocated for its opening, others have opposed it. 

Siena Quesada, co-president of MSU’s Student Advocates for Reproductive Rights (SARR), said she believes that Bozeman’s young demographic needs a clinic that can provide reproductive care close to home. 

“To have somewhere where [students] can get physicals done, annual checkups — annual sexual health checkups — to have it right there is so amazing,” she said.

Kathryn Kelly, co-president of SARR, agreed with this sentiment. 

“I’m thinking that the Planned Parenthood here in Bozeman is going to serve a lot of good,” she said. “I think it’s going to serve a lot of people that are looking to have more options for birth control counseling, more options for family planning, postpartum care, but then also the additional support of abortion services here in Montana.”

Additionally, Kaylie Baxter, also a member of MSU’s SARR, believes that the opening of a Planned Parenthood clinic means a progressive change in Bozeman’s sphere of reproductive care.

“Abortion is protected in the Montana State Constitution, but we know that protecting abortion doesn’t do anything if people can’t access it,” she said. “People are guaranteed this right, but what are you going to do if you can’t use it?”

Maya Engler, president of MSU Students for Life (MSUSFL), expressed concern that abortion care would be coming to Bozeman. 

“It makes me sad. I believe life in the womb has value, regardless of circumstance, and I think [unborn children] have dignity,” she said. 

Engler said that despite the clinic's arrival, she looks forward to volunteering with existing resources in town and advocating with MSUSFL. 

“I’m viewing it as an opportunity for myself to be able to get in there and show women all the ways that [MSUSFL] is there to support them,” she said. “[Abortion is] ending human life and it really drives the point that we need to focus more on supporting women in our community.”

Engler said that care from organizations besides Planned Parenthood is available.

“I don’t think people are aware enough of the support that exists already,” she said. “We have ZoeCare, which offers free services.”

Bozeman’s ZoeCare provides pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, pap smears and more. ZoeCare is located about a mile west of campus.

Kelly referred to ZoeCare as a crisis pregnancy center. According to Kelly, ZoeCare’s support isn’t discreet. 

“It’s a private organization, they don’t have to follow any federal regulations,” she said. “[ZoeCare] will contact all of your emergency contacts and tell them you want to get an abortion.” 

In addition to a variety of medical services, ZoeCare provides various support services, including community education, support groups, life coaching and pregnancy support.

Engler also pointed to LoveLine, a hotline started by pro-life activist Abby Johnson. 

LoveLine is a branch of the Christian organization ProLove Ministries, which according to its website, aims to build a strong community network that promotes a culture of life and reclaims motherhood from a culture of abortion. 

Engler volunteers for this hotline regularly to offer pregnant women alternatives to abortion.

“There is so much more support that’s available for them than just abortion,” she said. “It is possible to still be successful and still have a career and fulfilling life and you don’t have to let go of the rest of your life to become a parent.”