WESTERMAN EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT DOD’s POLICY TO PAY FOR SERVICE MEMBERS’ TRAVEL COSTS TO ACCESS ABORTIONS
WASHINGTON: Today, Congressman Bruce Westerman sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressing concern about the Department of Defense’s recent announcement to implement new policies requiring commanders to allow Service members and their dependents to travel to different states for the purpose of obtaining an abortion if abortion is illegal in the state in which they are stationed. The DOD also announced that it will pay for all travel costs associated with the abortion – meals, travel, and hotel stay. Congressman Westerman released the following statement:
“This is a blatant abuse of taxpayer dollars. Each state has a right to decide its own laws on abortion, and our military men and women must abide by the state’s laws in which they are stationed. If service members or their dependents want to go across state lines for an abortion because it’s illegal in their state, hardworking Americans should not be the ones who have to pick up the bill to fund their travel costs. I’m especially disappointed that on top of this irresponsible spending of taxpayer dollars, the Department of Defense has deliberately removed the role of a chaplain in providing spiritual care and counseling to a service member prior to seeking an abortion. I am respectfully calling on Secretary Austin to ensure the Department of Defense is acting in the spirit of the law and upholding the values of the American people to stop spending taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.”
Background:
On October 20, 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense released a memo, “Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care,” which directed the unprecedented use of taxpayer dollars to facilitate abortions for service members and their families. Congressman Westerman joined 40 Republican colleagues in a letter to Secretary of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressing concern for this blatant government overreach, a letter which the Department of Defense has since ignored.
On February 13, 2023, the Department of Defense issued three more guidance memos to implement the October 20 announcement. When implemented, the Department of Defense will:
- Pay for the following for a service member or dependent to get an abortion across state lines:
- Cost of lodging
- Cost of meals
- Cost of round-trip transportation, including mileage or airline tickets
- Give up to 21 days of “administrative leave.” Administrative leave is typically given at a commander’s discretion for events like national disasters, dependent health emergencies, or bereavement. Under these new policies, it can be given for service members to get an abortion across state lines.
- Eliminate the role of the chaplain in providing spiritual care and counseling. Commanders will not be able to require that a soldier speaks with the chaplain prior to receiving an abortion. This diminishes the chaplain’s role to provide emotional and spiritual support to service members in times of need.