On the recordMay 16, 2023
I rise to object. I continue hearing about this word ``readiness'' from my colleagues. We have had a law in place for nearly 40 years. The law provides taxpayer-funded abortion in case of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother. Nobody, in 40 years--nobody--on either side of the aisle has complained about this. This was a bipartisan consensus 40 years ago. The law was not affected by the Dobbs decision. The Dobbs decision did not apply to Federal military installations. On July 8, 2022, just 2 weeks after the Supreme Court ruling, the Biden administration said they needed to expand abortion to counteract the Dobbs decision. By memo, they said the VA would pay for abortion travel and time off. By memo, they said HHS would pay for late-term abortions. By memo, they covered all Federal workers, and they acted to expand abortion at the Pentagon. The Pentagon is now giving servicemembers and their dependents reimbursements for travel and additional paid time off for elective abortions. We are not talking about cases of rape, incest, or threat to the health of the mother. Despite what some of my colleagues have said, we are talking about elective abortions. Despite what some of my colleagues have said, that is what this is all about. Ordinary servicemembers get 30 days off a year--30 days off. Under this policy, servicemembers who get abortions would get 30 days off plus an additional 3 weeks.…
Source
govinfo.gov




