Hickenlooper, Bennet Join Colleagues in Calling on Department of Defense to Support and Protect Service Members Seeking Abortion Services

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet joined Armed Services Committee members U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono, Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, and Jacky Rosen in urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to take immediate steps to support and protect servicemembers seeking abortion services following the Supreme Court's dangerous and deeply harmful decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. As a result of the decision, hundreds of thousands of troops, dependents and DoD civilians have lost access to safe abortions and now face threats of criminal prosecution depending on their duty station. This decision will also negatively affect military readiness when servicemembers' health is at risk.

In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin today, the senators highlighted that it is Secretary Austin's responsibility to protect the health and safety of these individuals, as well as ensure they are free from retaliation, influence and retribution for seeking abortion care.

"The men and women who join the military sacrifice an incredible amount in order to serve their country. We owe it to these service members to look after them and ensure they have the ability to continue accessing safe reproductive health care no matter where their military service sends them," wrote Hickenlooper, Bennet, and their colleagues.

The senators also highlighted that not only does this decision violate the trust servicemembers place in our military, but it will also impact recruitment and retention in our Armed Forces: "It further threatens recruitment and retention as service members will undoubtedly elect to leave the military rather than run the risk of being assigned to a duty station where they and their family will be denied fundamental rights."

The senators requested Secretary Austin provide answers to a series of questions, including how DoD will protect service members from legal prosecution, how this decision will impact access to leave and travel regulations for abortion care, how DoD will ensure a servicemembers' right to privacy and how servicemembers and their partners will be protected from retaliation, influence or retribution as a result of seeking abortion care. Additionally, the members asked DoD to take immediate action to allow people to be granted permission to take necessary travel to seek abortion care, grant individuals--including those stationed overseas-- Permissive Temporary Additional Duty to seek abortion care instead of annual leave, and establish independent advocates or liaisons to assist individuals in need of abortion services.

"As a result of the ruling, a service members' reproductive and health care rights have become dependent on their duty station," wrote Hickenlooper, Bennet, and the senators. "Many of the states expected to prohibit or greatly limit abortions are home to military installations including Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Texas. In Missouri, even in cases of ectopic pregnancies, doctors are forced to wait to the point at which a mother's life is threatened before lifesaving abortion procedures can be performed. These law could force service members in these states to face criminal prosecution or life-threatening circumstances."

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