Some of the largest US military bases are located in states where abortion is currently banned, including Fort Hood in Texas.
Tony Gutierrez / AP
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Tony Gutierrez / AP
Some of the largest US military bases are located in states where abortion is currently banned, including Fort Hood in Texas.
Tony Gutierrez / AP
The Pentagon will pay service members to travel for abortion care, a move that comes as many states have withdrawn access to the procedure since the overthrow. Roe v. Wade.
In a memo on ThursdayDefense Secretary Lloyd Austin directed the department to adopt a series of reproductive health policies in response to the Supreme Court’s June decision to end federal abortion rights.
“The practical effect of the recent changes is that service members may be forced to travel longer distances, take more time off work, and pay more out-of-pocket to access reproductive health care, it all means readiness, recruitment, and retention for the armed forces of the United States,” said Brig. General Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the Pentagon, told reporters on Thursday.
As of June, all or most abortions became illegal in 13 states. Bans in several other states are currently pending by court order.
A federal policy known as the Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk. (According to a report to the National Assembly this early year91 abortions were performed in US military hospitals between 2016 and 2021.)
As a result, most service members seeking an abortion must go to a civilian facility to have it performed.
But some of the largest US military bases are located in states currently banned from abortion, including Fort Campbell, which straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border, and Fort Hood in Texas, both of which are inhabited. of tens of thousands of service members.
Austin’s memo seeks to address concerns about abortion access and reproductive privacy in other ways. Other policy changes include extending the length of time service members must report a pregnancy to 20 weeks. Department medical providers are directed not to disclose reproductive health information to the commander except under specific circumstances, including the risk of harm to the mission.
The memorandum also takes steps on behalf of healthcare providers working for the Department of Defense. The Pentagon will refund fees to suppliers who wish to be licensed in other states to perform official duties, along with providing legal and other assistance to those suppliers who are subject to the challenge. face civil or criminal penalties for “appropriately performing their official duties.”
The MoU directs all actions to be completed as soon as possible and no later than the end of 2022.
