Dan Coats: “let me address some of the questions that have been raised here. First, on the question of denial of constitutional…”

“let me address some of the questions that have been raised here. First, on the question of denial of constitutional right, that is not an issue. Whether we agree that a woman ought to have a constitutional right to an abortion or disagree, that is not the issue here because no woman is being denied her constitutional right, whether that woman is in the military or not, or whether that woman is in the military serving in the United States or in the military serving overseas. That right is not taken away from that woman. So the issue here that will be debated, and has been debated, and will be debated in the future over a constitutional right to an abortion is not the issue that we are debating today. The issue that we are debating today is whether that abortion that is sought by a military woman ought to be performed in the military hospital. The proponents of the amendment say that we can avoid the Federal prohibition against use of Federal taxpayer dollars if the woman herself pays for the abortion. But that ignores the fact that the military hospital was constructed with Federal funds, is equipped with Federal funds, that the salaries of the doctors and the nurses and the staff in that hospital are paid 100 percent with Federal funds, and that it will be an accounting nightmare as identified by the Department of Defense to try to separate out the two. But again let me go back to what is more fundamental. That is this inequality of treatment.…”