House Bill Aims to Fund Military Abortions for Service Members
Members of the House introduced a new bill on June 3, which would allow military medical facilities to perform and pay for abortions for service members and dependents.
The move comes as Roe v. Wade, a legal case that protects abortion rights in the United States, could be overturned.
The bill, titled the Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health for Servicemembers Act, is led by Reps. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., Lois Frankel, D-Fla., Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif.
The Senate is expected to introduce a companion bill soon, and members from the Senate, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., penned a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on May 12, urging action on protecting service members in need of abortions.
The letter was sent after a draft opinion was leaked by Politico on May 2, which signaled that Roe v. Wade could be overturned by the Supreme Court.
Currently, military facilities are prohibited from providing and covering the cost for abortions for service members under the Hyde Amendment, except in cases involving rape, incest or if a pregnancy is a danger to a woman’s health.
The MARCH act seeks to repeal the amendment and allow abortions to remain available to service women in the 26 states that are certain or likely to ban abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Alexa can be reached at [email protected]
