Biden Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin established a travel and transportation allowance for servicemembers who are stationed in states that have banned abortion.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday directed the Defense Department to establish travel and transportation allowances to ensure service members and their dependents have access, according to a memo.
“Our Service members and their families are often required to travel or move to meet our staffing, operational, and training requirements. Such moves should not limit their access to reproductive health care,” Austin wrote.
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“In my judgment, such effects qualify as unusual, extraordinary, hardship, or emergency circumstances for Service members and their dependents and will interfere with our ability to recruit, retain, and maintain the readiness of a highly qualified force,” he wrote.
Abortion is not covered by military health insurance, and the procedure can’t be performed at military hospitals. The Secretary of Defense’s memo does not cover the cost of the procedure, but it does fulfill Biden’s promise to use the power of the Executive Branch where he can to help women get access to reproductive health care.
Military families do more frequently and life-altering access to healthcare should not depend on the next assignment that a servicemember is given. Men and women who serve our country risk their lives every day, so they and their dependents deserve access to life-saving healthcare in return for their commitment to the nation.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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