Some House Democrats have joined forces to introduce a new piece of legislation that would require the United States military to provide a leave of absence for service members to get abortions, which also includes payment for travel expenses for those who would need to go out of state to receive the procedure.
According to the Daily Wire, the legislation is called the “Access to Reproductive Care for Service Members Act,” which was introduced as a response to requests for abortions that were being made by individuals within the armed forces after the Supreme Court overturned the sick and twisted Roe v. Wade decision this past June.
“Abortion access should be a right, not a privilege,” Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), who serves as the Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee, went on to say in a statement released on Tuesday.
“Yet a recent study estimated that 40 percent of servicemembers will have no or severely restricted access to abortion services where they are stationed – something they have no control over. The fallout of being denied care will be catastrophic, as is the threat to our military readiness, recruitment, morale, and unit cohesion,” she continued.
Here are a few more details on the legislation from the Daily Wire:
The new legislation will seek to add several new aspects to how abortions are handled by the military. First, it would redefine abortion as time-sensitive, requiring a commander to approve leave automatically. In addition, the act would allow service members to request and receive leave for abortion care without specifying to a commander the nature of the procedure.
The new act would also prohibit retaliation or adverse action from commanding officers or other service members for getting an abortion. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), a co-sponsor of the legislation, argued that abortion is an issue of military preparation.
“A woman’s choice to have an abortion should remain between her and her doctor – including for our servicemembers. Ensuring our troops have access to safe and reliable abortion care is both a matter of principle and troop readiness,” Crow remarked.
“During my time in the Army, I served alongside talented and brave servicewomen. Their service was – and is – a huge part of what makes our military the greatest fighting force in the world,” he continued.
The Democratic lawmakers argue that the projected cost of travel for military personnel going out-of-state for an abortion is $1,100 or more, almost half of the monthly pay for a junior enlisted service member. Speier argued that covering the abortion-related expenses was “the least we can do.”
The problem here is that the cash that would go to pay for these services would come out of the taxpayer money that funds the military, which means, essentially, that individuals who are against the murder of children in the womb would be forced by the government to pay for abortions for individuals in the armed forces, which is a violation of their religious beliefs and personally held convictions.
Our government should not be taking this course of action. The First Amendment should be enforced in this situation in order to protect the rights of those who are against murdering pre-born kids. It’s despicable that the government is even attempting this.
