Following Friday's Supreme Court ruling, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that the Pentagon would work to secure access to reproductive healthcare for military personnel and their families, as well as civilian employees.
The department faces challenges now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, since there is currently no policy in place to assist those seeking an abortion, but are stationed in a state that has made the procedure difficult to obtain.
Shortly after the ruling was handed down, Austin released a statement.
"Nothing is more important to me or to this Department than the health and well-being of our Service members, the civilian workforce and DOD families," he said. "I am committed to taking care of our people and ensuring the readiness and resilience of our Force."
"The Department is examining this decision closely and evaluating our policies to ensure we continue to provide seamless access to reproductive health care as permitted by federal law."
As Axios reports, federal law currently only permits the performing of abortions at military medical facilities in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is in danger.
The military's health program has similar restrictions.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, as of 2020 women make up 16 percent of the military's enlisted forces and 19 percent of the officer corps, and most are of reproductive age.
Following the Supreme Court's decision to give states the ability to decide where they stand on abortion, many departments, organizations, and companies have come out saying that they will work to continue providing access to reproductive healthcare for employees, especially those for whom it may be hard to obtain.
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy
