Jackie Speier

I am horrified at the utter lack of medical privacy servicewomen face when pregnant.

I think there is no question that there is a 14th Amendment violation to women serving at these 109 installations where they cannot access the abortion care nearby.

We are providing unequal access to women in the military when we have 109 installations in these red States that are banning all abortions.

And I would also say, Under Secretary, while you are doing that education with women who are in boot camp, we really need it for the men as well, because, truly, we keep losing sight of the fact that there are two in this process.

I think we really need to delve into, though. One is a more robust contraception education program within the military.

Covered abortions is what is critical here. So, only for rape, incest, and life of the mother will they cover the cost.

The uncertainty that the draft decision brought about was really challenging for us to navigate and it was deeply troubling.

Chairwoman Speier, we know that there is still more work to be done, and as we continue to review our policies, I commit to working with you and this committee, just as we have always done.

It is truly a great privilege for us to have heard from you... one that is untenable and unacceptable, and one that we must fix.

The VA has the most restrictive policy of any Federal agency on abortion and abortion counseling.

We are creating a real incentive for women not to serve and in some respects it is almost an insidious effort to encourage women to leave the military.

We have 102 installations right now on that map, 102 installations in the United States that will--in which the States ban, totally ban access to abortion care.

The fact that we don't offer the healthcare at the military treatment facility where they are, means that they then have to take their--what leave they have and use it to get healthcare, which seems like it is once again another punitive…

Do you think that this is going to discourage women from serving in the military?

Arkansas doesn't have abortion care anymore. Alabama doesn't have abortion care anymore.

Military women are therefore understandably concerned about access to reproductive healthcare.

It pains me, as I am sure it pains many of us, to hear these stories, but they are real stories.

And to have anyone snuff out that opportunity for just a lack of providing services to our service members is repelling to me.

We respectfully ask that you summarize your testimony in 5 minutes or less.

This is not a hearing on whether or not service members should be able to choose where they serve.

Let me be clear, it is inhumane to force women to remain pregnant against their will.

As our military members defend our freedoms, we must defend theirs.

DOD must act now to provide the right resources at the right time at the right place so that service members and their families--who have no choice about where they live--continue to have access to the reproductive care they need, want…

The ability to access an abortion should not depend on how much money you have, where you live, or where you are stationed.

Access to abortion care is essential to a woman's health and central to their economic and social well-being.