Cortez Masto, Rosen urge Pentagon to protect abortion access for service members

WASHINGTON D.C., Virginia (KOLO) - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, and a number of their other colleagues sent a letter to the Pentagon and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging the need to protect abortion access.

“Following the Dobbs decision, the RAND Corporation estimates that 40% of active duty women serving in the continental United States face limited or no access to abortion services where they are stationed. When service members are assigned to duty stations either domestically or overseas, their placement is determined by the needs of the U.S. military. Women service members, who make up approximately 17% of active duty military, have no say in where they are stationed, even if their duty station is in a state that severely limits or restricts access to abortion or other critical reproductive health services. It is unacceptable that service members or their dependents should face limited or no access to abortion care simply because of where they are stationed as part of their service to the United States,” the Senators wrote.

The Senators claim not having this access has national security implications, such as an inability to recruit.

You can read the letter in full here.