Political Quotes

“As a former servicewoman and a veteran myself, I rise today in support of our current and future servicewomen and their fundamental freedoms. The Dobbs decision has already had a devastating effect on women across this country. According to a recent Rand study, 37 percent of servicewomen who were pregnant within a year of the study had an unintended pregnancy. Now, nearly half of all Active-Duty servicewomen live in States that have severely curtailed abortion access, and this is devastating, of course. {time} 1615 Access to abortion care is essential to a woman's health, and it is central to her economic and social well-being. Servicewomen who live in States that have banned or restricted abortion now must incur the expenses that are necessary to travel to receive medical care, and they must now go to their commands to ask for permission to travel. Their military personnel records are automatically updated in a system showing that they are pregnant. Pregnant servicewomen are afforded no medical privacy, and they face the knowledge that their colleagues and their commanders will know if they have to travel to seek an abortion. With this vital healthcare out of reach for some and far too difficult to access for others, the consequences are widespread and tangible, not just to women's lives, but to this Nation. Our military readiness, our retention, and our recruitment are all in jeopardy.…”