Pentagon to pay for out-of-state travel for abortion following Roe reversal
Mike Brest
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The Department of Defense announced new policies paying for travel for out-of-state abortions as some states move to restrict or ban the procedure.
Once the policy changes go into effect in a couple of weeks, women in the service will be able to have their travel expenses paid and receive up to three weeks of leave to obtain an out-of-state abortion. The department has sought to clarify and update its abortion policies following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last year.
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“This policy reflects our continued commitment to taking care of our people and ensuring that the entire force remains ready and resilient,” Gilbert Cisneros, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said in a memo released Thursday. “This policy will be effective within 30 days following the date of this memorandum.”
Service members will also be able to get travel costs covered for fertility treatment.
Many GOP-led states have sought to implement abortion restrictions following the court’s reversal of Roe. Some of these are home to military bases, including Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Female service members or the partners of service members living in those states will soon be able to get time off to obtain abortions and to have the travel involved covered by the military.
“Our Service members and their families do not control where they are stationed, and due to the nature of military service, are frequently required to travel or move to meet operational requirements,” the Pentagon said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “The efforts taken by the Department today will not only ensure that service members and their families are afforded time and flexibility to make private healthcare decisions, but will also ensure service members are able to access non-covered reproductive healthcare regardless of where they are stationed.”
Cisneros’s memo comes months after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed the department in October to ensure service members and their families can access non-covered reproductive healthcare.
Conservative leaders on Capitol Hill swiftly criticized the announcement shortly after it was made publicly.
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“Today, the Biden administration chose to make the Department of Defense an abortion travel agency over a lethal fighting force. As I have repeatedly told the political leaders of this administration, taking this action jeopardizes congressional authorizations for our warfighters. I am extremely disappointed the Biden administration chose once again to use our military to placate the radical left,” said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) in a statement.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, “Heavy-handed, far-left social policy has no place at the Department of Defense.”