Sam Farr: “I rise today to support the Davis Amendment and our servicewomen stationed around the world. These brave soldiers…”

“I rise today to support the Davis Amendment and our servicewomen stationed around the world. These brave soldiers, sailors, and air women have dedicated themselves to serving our country, and the least we should do is give them access to the highest quality healthcare available. Currently, servicewomen and female military dependents are prohibited from using their own funds for abortions at overseas military hospitals. Military women should be able to depend on their base hospitals for all their health-care services, but instead they are forced to compromise their medical privacy and wait for space on a military transport, or to seek an abortion in a foreign hospital. It is unacceptable to endanger the health of our servicewomen by denying them safe and timely medical care. The Davis amendment would allow military women and military dependents stationed overseas to exercise the reproductive rights they are entitled to as Americans. This amendment would not require the government to pay for abortions, and it would not force medical providers to perform abortions. All branches of the military have provisions that permit medical personnel who have moral, religious, or ethical objections to abortion not to participate in the procedure; this amendment would not change this. We can't violate the rights and liberties of our troops who are fighting to protect our rights and liberties. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.”