Today, Democratic Women's Caucus Co-Chairs Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21), and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Freshman Representative Sara Jacobs (CA-53), and Whip Nikema Williams (GA-05) were joined by Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Pro-Choice Caucus members Jason Crow (CO-06) and Marilyn Strickland (WA-01), as well as 71 of their congressional colleagues in introducing the MARCH for Servicemembers Act. The legislation will allow military medical treatment facilities (MTF) to provide abortion services and for the military to cover associated costs. Senators Gillibrand, Shaheen, and Blumenthal will introduce companion legislation.
"If Roe is overturned, abortion will quickly become illegal in 26 states. Women serving in the military experience unintended pregnancy rates 22 percent greater than civilians, and many are stationed in states that will overturn Roe. Many also don't have the luxury of traveling off-base, thousands of miles and for days at a time, to pay out of pocket to receive the care they need and deserve. The fallout for our servicemembers and their families will be catastrophic, as is the threat to our military readiness, morale, and unit cohesion," said Rep. Speier, Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee. "Abortion care isn't a privilege, it is standard health care essential to one's ability to determine their own destiny. One in four women in America will have an abortion in her lifetime, and 59% of women who have abortions are already mothers. Our brave servicemembers deserve the same access to basic health care as the people they are fighting to protect."
"Those who serve our nation in the military stand up for our rights and freedoms. We must do the same for them," Rep. Frankel said. "They should have full access to the health care they need, including abortion care."
"It is completely unacceptable that our heroic women servicemembers face burdensome barriers when accessing an abortion. Every American, including our women in uniform, should have the full range of their reproductive health care," Rep. Lawrence said. "As the Co-Chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, I am grateful to work with my congressional colleagues to introduce this lifesaving legislation. Our servicemembers fight for our rights and freedoms every single day, and we should do the same for them."
"With the Supreme Court seemingly poised to overturn Roe, it is up to Congress to create a nation where abortion is not only recognized as a right but is also affordable, and accessible. That access must include the brave Americans serving in our military, who have historically faced significant barriers to abortions--often having to travel thousands of miles off-base," Rep. Lee said. "It is critical that we remove abortion coverage bans, through my legislation the EACH Act and through this legislation, to improve access to safe and comprehensive reproductive care for our servicemembers."
"The very servicemembers who fight for our rights and freedoms abroad must not have their own stripped from them at home," Rep. Escobar said. "I'm glad to join my colleagues in co-sponsoring The MARCH for Servicemembers Act to reform TRICARE and ensure every member of the military has access to abortion care. Abortion care is an essential and fundamental healthcare right, regardless of what state in which our servicemembers are stationed."
"Reproductive rights cannot and should not end when you put on our nation's uniform. Representing a proud military community in San Diego, I am committed to making sure our servicemembers have access to the care they need. I am proud to be a co-lead on The MARCH Act and to work with the Democratic Women's Caucus and the Pro-Choice Caucus to fight for abortion rights," Rep. Jacobs said.
"Reproductive health care must be accessible to all, including our service members and their families. Covering abortion under TRICARE with the MARCH for Servicemembers Act will expand access to essential healthcare," Rep. Williams said. "I am proud to co-lead this bill with my fellow Democratic Women's Caucus leaders and colleagues in the Pro-Choice Caucus. I will continue to fight for every person to have the right to make decisions about their health and families freely, regardless of their insurance status."
"The freedom to make our own healthcare decisions shouldn't end when we enter the gates of a military base. I'm proud to work with Congresswoman Speier and my colleagues to introduce the MARCH for Servicemembers Act, ensuring our servicemembers and their families have full autonomy in their family planning and healthcare decisions on our military bases," Rep. Crow said.
"Servicemembers deserve universal access to health care, including reproductive care, regardless of where they are currently serving," Rep. Strickland said. "As the Representative for thousands of military families in the South Sound, I'm proud to join the Democratic Women's Caucus in introducing the MARCH for Servicemembers Act, which will ensure all servicemembers have access to reproductive health care. I urge House leadership to swiftly bring this bill up for a vote so that we fully support those who serve our nation."
"Our service members should have the constitutional right to reproductive health care, no matter where they are stationed. The MARCH Act will empower the Department of Defense to protect the constitutional right for service members to make the decisions they need to safeguard their health. Not only would this legislation remove outdated statutory bans that prevent access to reproductive care, but it would also facilitate the development of a healthy force with access to safe health services," said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee.
The MARCH Act is supported by numerous reproductive rights, women's rights and military servicemember organizations, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, National Women's Law Center, Center for Reproductive Rights, Power to Decide, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Service Women's Action Network, VoteVets, Physicians for Reproductive Health, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Minority Veterans of America.
Quotes from supporting organizations are below:
"Abortion care and coverage within the military health care system is already out of reach for many service members and their families. At a time when hostile state legislators are decimating abortion access and the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the right to abortion altogether, our federal lawmakers should be ensuring that our policies protect abortion care. That is why we strongly support the MARCH Act, a bill that would eliminate federal bans on abortion in the military," said Leila Abolfazli, Director of Federal Reproductive Rights at NWLC. "No one is free unless we can all control our own bodies, lives, and futures -- and no one should be forced to continue a pregnancy against their will. We thank our champions in Congress for introducing legislation in this critical moment that commits to a future where all people, including service members and their loved ones, can better access abortion care in order to live a safe and healthy life."
"It's unconscionable that people serving our country and defending our freedoms are being denied their reproductive freedom. Everyone, regardless of their income, zip code, or occupation, should have access to abortion -- including military servicemembers," said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "As some politicians continue to dismantle reproductive rights in states across the country, it is critical that Congress support our servicemembers and their ability to access to sexual and reproductive health care no matter where they are stationed. Abortion is health care, plain and simple. We thank the leadership of the Pro-Choice Caucus and the Democratic Women's Caucus for standing with our servicemembers and advocating for abortion access for all."
"By ensuring that servicemembers and their families face fewer obstacles to accessing abortion care, this critical bill would help bring us closer to a world where everyone can make their own decisions about their health, lives, and futures. We applaud Rep. Speier for introducing this crucial legislation that will help protect our fundamental freedoms and ensure that everyone has the freedom to decide when, if, and how to start or grow a family, regardless of where they live or their insurance coverage," said Mini Timmaraju, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
"The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is grateful to Representative Speier for her leadership in helping to advance reproductive health equity for women in the military," said Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, MD, FACOG, president of ACOG who served 29 years both the U.S. Navy and the Marines. "People who are serving their country should not face unwarranted barriers when they need abortion care, and the MARCH Act will help ensure that these servicemembers will be able to get the abortions they need where and when they need it."
"With the potential of Roe v Wade being overturned, expanding access to reproductive care for servicemembers is more important now than ever. Abortion access is part of reproductive health care and service members are long overdue to have access to all reproductive health care, which is why the MARCH Act is so important. We applaud the introduction of this legislation and encourage Congress to do everything in its power to give service members access to all reproductive health care options," said Marcelle Cedars, MD, ASRM President.
"Abortion is a part of the basic reproductive health care that should be accessible to us all. Our servicemembers and their families should never face the financial and emotional hardship that often comes with being denied access to abortion, whether through their health insurance or by military treatment facilities. Now more than ever we must protect those who protect us, by ensuring members of the military have access to the abortion care they need, when and where they need it," Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH, CEO, Power to Decide.
The legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Lois Frankel (FL-22), Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Sara Jacobs (CA-53), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Marilyn Strickland (WA-01), Jason Crow (CO-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Andre' Carson (IN-07), Deborah K. Ross (NC-02), Katie Porter (CA-45), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Kaialiʻi Kahele (HI-02), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), John Garamendi (CA-03), Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Mark Takano (CA-41), Lori Trahan (MA-03), David Trone (MD-06), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Peter Welch (D-VT), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Dina Titus (NV-01), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Judy Chu (CA-27), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (IL-04), Grace Meng (NY-06), Anthony Brown (MD-04), Ed Case (HI-01), Andy Levin (MI-09), Darren Soto (FL-09), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), Mondaire Jones (NY-17), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Sean Casten (IL-06), Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Frank J. Mrvan (IN-01), Dwight Evans (PA-02), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), John B. Larson (CT-01), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Marie Newman (IL-03), Joseph D. Morelle (NY-25), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Doris Matsui (CA-06), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Peter A. DeFazio (OR-04).