(RepublicanView.org) – Democratic Senator Michael Bennet said the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade puts the US military at risk. The Senator produced videos to explain his view. He said female service personnel have limited or no access to abortion services, putting the military under pressure. The Senator noted statistics revealing that 40% of active-duty women serving in the United States now face limited options if they experience an unwanted pregnancy. Women comprise 17% of the American military.
The Senator argues that female service personnel have no say in where they are stationed and could end up serving in a state with severe abortion restrictions. He said they must risk their health and safety by traveling to other states to access the procedure.
Bennet is not the first Member of Congress to question the relationship between abortion and the military. In February, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville lashed out at the Pentagon for what he said was an illegal expansion of the authority of the Department of Defense when it decided to give time off, plus expenses, to service women who undertook travel to obtain an abortion.
In guidance released by the Pentagon following the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe, troops were asked to notify their department within the first 20 weeks of their pregnancy so they could travel for an abortion and have their costs reimbursed.
Tuberville responded with fury, saying the Pentagon was promoting abortion to push a far-left agenda. In announcing its decision, the DoD shared Senator Bennet’s position that disallowing abortion had a detrimental impact on military readiness. “It’s ridiculous, it’s against the law, and they know it,” Tuberville responded.
Abortion is illegal in Senator Tuberville’s home state of Alabama. The only exception is a severe risk to the mother’s life. Historically, it is one of America’s strongest pro-life states. Polls show that around 60% of the adult population believe abortion should be prohibited in most circumstances.
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