The Pentagon will cover travel fees for military personnel who travel out of state to get an abortion, after abortion rights advocates raised concerns about the impact statewide bans would have on service members.
The Office of Veterans Services is in Boston, Massachusetts.
Austin said in a memo Thursday that the Pentagon will allow service members and their dependents to get an abortion out of state if the procedure is banned.
There will be a policy for administrative absences to get reproductive care.
Department of Defense healthcare providers will not be allowed to reveal reproductive healthcare information to commanders unless it would interfere with an employee's work, and the time for service members to report their pregnancies to their commanders will be extended to 20 weeks.
Under the federal Hyde Amendment, taxpayer funds cannot be used to fund abortions except in cases of rape, incest and medical emergencies.
In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision, the Pentagon said its healthcare facilities would still perform abortions in cases of rape, incest and medical emergencies, but employees who get abortions outside of those circumstances would have to use their own funds.
Austin wrote in his memo that recent changes may force service members and their families to travel greater distances, take more time off from work, and pay more out of pocket for reproductive health care. Such effects qualify as unusual, extraordinary, hardship, or emergency circumstances for service members and their dependents and will interfere with our ability to recruit, retain, and maintain a highly qualified force.
A majority of 40%. 18% of all active-duty service members in the U.S. live in states that ban or restrict abortion, according to a new analysis. More than half a million active-duty service members live in states with abortion bans, according to a study.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will provide abortions in cases of rape, incest and medical emergencies for Americans who have left the military.
Concerns have been raised about the impact of the Supreme Court's decision on the military. Pentagon officials testified to Congress that banning abortion could affect military recruitment, as women may be deterred from joining or staying in the military. The Democrats in Congress have introduced legislation that would make it less burdensome for pregnant service members to obtain abortion care, and some branches of the military have already imposed their own policies, with the Air Force and Army implementing measures that allow service members to take leave for abortion care without getting it pre- Military abortion rights advocates suggest service members may be subject to harassment or negative performance reviews from their superiors if they ask to take leave for the procedure because of the new barriers to abortion access.
The military personnel crisis will be worsened by the abortion ruling.
The Pentagon says that abortion access won't be affected by the overturn of the law.
The US military is concerned about a decline in female troops.
The decision could affect the national security of the U.S.
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