Frank Lautenberg: “This amendment is so basic that it, frankly, kind of surprises me that we say to people who we have recruited to serve…”

“This amendment is so basic that it, frankly, kind of surprises me that we say to people who we have recruited to serve in our military that you leave your constitutional rights on the doorstep; that if you need medical services you are willing to pay for, we are not going to give them to you. This amendment, as it is presented, will overturn the unreasonable, harsh Republican policy that prohibits servicewomen from obtaining abortion services in overseas military facilities, once again, even if they are willing out of their own pockets to pay for these health services. Essentially, the current law that was passed by the Republican Congress forces servicewomen to leave their constitutional rights behind, at the water's edge. I am familiar, Mr. President, with the struggle to protect constitutional rights of servicewomen. In 1991 and 1992, I led the fight to overturn this policy. I had an amendment pass the Senate twice to overturn this unfair restriction. Unfortunately, President Bush threatened to veto the entire defense appropriations bill over this provision and thus it was dropped in conference. But the 1992 election changed all of this. On the second day of the Clinton administration, President Clinton restored servicewomen's constitutional rights by executive authority. Tragically, the Republican Congress reversed the Clinton policy.”