Retired military officials: Protecting abortion care keeps America safe

By Louis Caldera, Ray Mabus and Deborah James
February 1, 2024

The tragic attack on our troops at Tower 22 in Jordan is a stark reminder of how those in uniform might give their lives at any moment in service to our country. Two of the three soldiers killed were women. They lost their lives for a country that is moving to restrict the rights of all women — including those in uniform.

While it might not seem to be a military issue, the Supreme Court will soon decide a case that will affect the armed forces and hundreds of thousands of women who serve in uniform — as well as those civilians we need to recruit. The question before the court is whether to severely limit access to mifepristone, one of two drugs used for medication abortions up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. Medication abortions make up over half of the cases in the United States.

Continued: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/01/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone/

01.02.2024

U.S. military and abortion

Troops avoid abortion travel policy fueling Tuberville blockade

A senator has stalled high-level military confirmations over a program many service members don’t even use.

By LARA SELIGMAN and JOE GOULD
09/15/2023

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville has blocked hundreds of military promotions over a single policy that allows troops access to abortions, creating turmoil within the Pentagon and even his own party.

But few actually use the program. Only a small number of service members have taken advantage of the year-old rule that offers paid leave and travel reimbursement to troops seeking abortions and other reproductive care, according to the Pentagon.

Continued: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/15/troops-reject-abortion-travel-policy-fueling-tuberville-blockade-00116276

15.09.2023

National Women’s Law Center

Patrick Ryder

Robert Greenway

Tommy Tuberville

U.S. military and abortion

United States

Human Rights

Abortion care access is essential to support military personnel and their families | Opinion

May. 27, 2023
By Sylvia Ghazarian

The United States military is one of the largest employers in the world, with over 1.3 million active-duty personnel and millions more veterans and their families. It is important that military personnel, who have bravely served the country, have access to comprehensive healthcare, including abortion care, regardless of where they are stationed or deployed. This is especially crucial given the barriers to accessing abortion care that military personnel often face due to restrictive policies on abortion funding.

Tricare, the military health insurance program, currently does not cover all abortions, and in cases where the pregnancy poses a risk to the health or life of the pregnant person, a physician must certify that an abortion is necessary. This policy undermines the reproductive rights and privacy of military personnel and puts their health and well-being at risk.

Continued: https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2023/05/abortion-care-access-is-essential-to-support-military-personnel-and-their-families-opinion.html

27.05.2023

Opinion

Sylvia Ghazarian

Tricare

U.S. military and abortion

Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project

United States

Health

Human Rights

U.S. Military to Cover Travel Costs and Offer Leave for Troops Seeking Abortions, Fertility Treatment

16 Feb 2023
Military.com | By Patricia Kime

Service women will soon be able to have their travel expenses paid and receive up to three weeks of leave to obtain an abortion out of state or receive fertility treatments; they also will have up to 20 weeks to notify their commands that they are pregnant, according to three new Defense Department policies.

The department released policies Thursday designed to improve troops' access to reproductive health care and abortion services, clarifying a memo published in October by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directing the service branches to ensure that their members could access abortions and reproductive health care that isn't covered by military health.

Continued: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/02/16/military-cover-travel-costs-and-offer-leave-troops-seeking-abortions-fertility-treatment.html

16.02.2023

U.S. military and abortion

United States

Human Rights

Dobbs’ Effect on Military Women: ‘Our Fighting Force Is Hindered and Our Security Is at Risk’

12/19/2022
by CARRIE N. BAKER

Thousands of active duty and civilian women in the U.S. military need abortion healthcare each year. After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision this summer, many now live in states banning abortion. Increased obstacles to accessing abortion not only harm the health and careers of military women stationed in these states, but also threatens national security, according to military experts.

“Let’s be clear: Women who are active-duty service members do not get to choose what state they live in, which means they could lose abortion access at the whim of any state with an abortion ban,” said Ashley Ehasz, a West Point grad and former Apache helicopter pilot. “Now that women in uniform have lost their reproductive rights, our country’s fighting force is hindered and our security is at risk.”

Continued: https://msmagazine.com/2022/12/19/dobbs-military-women-abortion/

21.12.2022

Featured

News

Ashley Ehasz

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

RAND Army Research Division

U.S. military and abortion

USA: ‘You’re On Your Own’: Servicewomen Describe Impact Of Military’s Abortion Policy

'You're On Your Own': Servicewomen Describe Impact Of Military's Abortion Policy

November 15, 2017
Camila Domonoske

The U.S. military's restrictions on covering abortions can create logistical, emotional, career and health challenges for service members who become pregnant, according to a newly released study.

Previous research shows that women serving in the military have a higher rate of unintended pregnancy than civilian women do. But their access to abortion can be limited by Department of Defense policies, which prohibit military facilities from providing and military insurance from covering abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or danger to a woman's life.

Continued at source: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/15/564336406/-you-re-on-your-own-study-describes-impact-of-militarys-abortion-policy

15.11.2017