Female veterans in Congress share their thoughts on the Pentagon abortion policy dispute.
Congress Debates Department of Defense’s Abortion Policies
Congress is currently engaged in a heated debate over the Department of Defense’s policies on abortion. What makes this discussion particularly interesting is the involvement of seven women lawmakers who have served in the military.
Representatives Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) have all shown their support for the National Defense Authorization Act. They have also voted in favor of an amendment that, if passed into law, would require the department to end its current policy of reimbursing travel expenses for service members or their dependents who need to travel out of state due to restrictive local abortion laws.
Debates Reach New Heights
While the department’s policy has been in effect for several months, the discussions surrounding it have reached new heights this week. House Republicans ultimately voted to include the repeal of this policy in the must-pass defense authorization bill.
On Thursday, Luna took the opportunity to speak on the House floor, emphasizing that the current policy would harm military readiness if allowed to continue. However, Democratic women veterans in the House, such as Representatives Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), who voted against the NDAA with objections to the abortion amendment, hold a different perspective.
Sherrill expressed her surprise at the overwhelming GOP support for the amendment, stating, “It was shocking to me… especially given what I was hearing from members across the aisle who I thought would vote against the amendment,” according to Talking Points Memo.
Concerns for Women in Uniform
Representative Houlahan, through her spokesperson Aubrey Stuber, voiced her concerns about the potential impact of this policy on women in uniform and military families. Stuber stated, “If Republicans pass this policy, women in uniform and military families will have less access to reproductive care than when she wore the uniform decades ago.”
Stuber further emphasized the national security implications, stating that it raises questions about whether women would want to join an institution that does not respect their right to reproductive care. This, in turn, could degrade military readiness during a time of historic recruitment challenges.
The Battle Ahead
While the Senate still needs to pass its own version of the NDAA, it is highly unlikely that the Democratic majority will include this provision. This sets the stage for a tough battle when both chambers come together to merge their versions of the bill.
Notably, there are two women veterans in the Senate who hold opposing views on the matter. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) are on opposite sides of the debate. Ernst has already made efforts to add this amendment to the Senate’s version of the bill.
Ernst firmly believes that the Pentagon should not be mobilized against the unborn. She argues that the Department of Defense exists to defend innocent life, not destroy it. In her statement to the Washington Examiner, she expressed her commitment to protecting the unborn and taxpayers from funding abortions.
As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how this issue will ultimately be resolved.
Click here to read more from the Washington Examiner.
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