A coalition of anti-abortion organizations has sent a letter to Republican lawmakers in Washington calling on them to end a Department of Defense (DoD) policy that allows for taxpayer subsidization of travel for service members seeking out-of-state abortions.
The policy was put in place after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its Dobbs v. Jackson decision last year. It was included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which will soon be up for reauthorization, reported Fox News.
Under the policy, outlined in late 2022 by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and made official in February 2023, service members have up to 21 days of additional leave to get an elective abortion or receive fertility treatment, according to Military.com.
Strict abortion bans were enacted in six states housing sizeable military populations — including Arkansas, West Virginia, and Oklahoma — while another 13 states, home to about 240,000 service members, have laws in place restricting elective abortions.
According to Fox News, which obtained the letter addressed to Republican members of Congress, the anti-abortion coalition said the DoD’s policy “us[es] taxpayer funds to pay for time off, lodging and travel for elective abortions.” The coalition claimed that the policy was the result of political pressure from President Joe Biden following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The letter said the DoD previously held that “travel for non-covered abortions would be paid ‘at the service member’s own expense.'”
Signatories to the letter further alleged that the policy evidenced a politicization of the DoD, echoing other concerns previously reported on by The Dallas Express about politics seeping into different branches of the military.
Near its conclusion, the letter claimed that “the majority (60%) [of Americans] do not approve of using taxpayer money to fund abortions.”
At the time of the new policy’s adoption, Austin described it as “appropriate action, within [DoD’s] authority and consistent with applicable federal law.”
“In my judgment, such effects [of abortion bans or restrictions] 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,” said Austin, according to ABC News.
Ryan Walker, executive director of Heritage Action for America, one of the letter’s signatories, told Fox News that the policy change ordered by Austin was in violation of federal rulemaking procedures since it bypassed Congress.
As the NDAA now faces Congressional reauthorization for the first time since the policy change went into effect, Walker told Fox News that “the only way Congress can ensure a bipartisan NDAA moves forward is by rescinding this … policy through amendments on the floor.”