Pentagon orders abortion to be made easier for troops

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the military on Thursday to make it easier for its members to have abortions, as a growing number of states pass restrictions on the procedure.

In June, the Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion, sending the decision back to the states on whether or not to allow it. Since then, a dozen states have severely restricted or banned the voluntary termination of pregnancy.

This makes access to abortion difficult for members of the Armed Forces, forcing those who wish to have an abortion to take leave and travel to places where the procedure is legal.

The decision of the Supreme Court “Decreased access to reproductive health care, with impacts on recruitment, retention, and readiness across the force”a Pentagon official told reporters.

“It created complexity, confusion and anxiety for service members and their families, who may now need to travel significant distances to receive reproductive health care.”he added.

Federal law prohibits the Defense Department finance or provide abortion services, except in cases of threat to the life of the mother. However, Austin has issued a memorandum outlining further steps to facilitate access.

He asked the department to develop a policy allowing troops to take administrative leave to receive “uncovered reproductive health care” and establish travel and transportation allowances to help them cover the costs.

The memorandum also calls for steps to be taken to increase the privacy of its members.

These include extending the time they have to inform their commanders that they are pregnant and the health care providers of the Defense Department that they cannot disclose reproductive health information to commanders.

But there are exceptions to both, such as “occupational health hazards” in the case of the first measure, and “mission damage” in the second.

Austin also wants to protect Department of Defense health providers from legal action resulting from the “proper performance of their official duties”.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.