Pentagon Halts Policy Supporting Troops’ Access To Abortions

The Pentagon has quietly scrapped a policy that assisted troops who needed to travel to receive reproductive health care, including abortions, a US defense official said Friday. This move is part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to roll back multiple US military policies since taking office this month, including ending “transgender ideology” in the armed forces and reinstating troops dismissed for refusing Covid vaccines.

The end of the reproductive health care policy took effect earlier this week, though the Pentagon has not publicized the decision. The policy was initially implemented in response to the US Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which struck down the nationwide right to abortion. This ruling meant that troops stationed in states that restricted or banned the procedure had to take leave and travel to areas where it was legal to obtain one.

In response, the Defense Department permitted service members to take administrative absences to receive “non-covered reproductive health care” and established travel allowances. However, the policy drew significant criticism from Republicans, particularly Senator Tommy Tuberville, who sought to delay the approval of hundreds of senior military officers’ promotions in protest.

Tuberville’s actions led to three officers serving as the acting heads of military branches and on the Joint Chiefs of Staff while also performing their previous jobs as deputy service chiefs. Although Tuberville eventually backed down, US officials have said his “hold” on promotions caused significant disruption.

The senator hailed the end of the policy, stating that Trump and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had secured “what I’ve been fighting for since I got to Washington: ZERO taxpayer dollars should go towards abortions.” Hegseth responded to Tuberville’s post on social media site X, saying, “Thank you for your leadership, Coach”.

Not everyone supported the change. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democratic member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed her opposition, stating that the end of the policy “will harm the health and wellbeing of our service members and does nothing to support our military readiness”.

While the policy was contentious, it was only used a limited number of times—12 instances at a cost of less than $45,000 between June and December 2023, the only time frame for which figures were released by the Pentagon. The policy allowed service members to take administrative absences and receive travel allowances for reproductive health care not covered by military medical facilities.

The end of this policy raises concerns about the accessibility of reproductive health care for service members stationed in states with restrictive abortion laws. The decision underscores the ongoing debate over reproductive rights and the role of federal funding in providing access to such care.

As the situation evolves, it remains to be seen how the Pentagon will address the health care needs of its service members and their families, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling and the current administration’s stance on reproductive health care.

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