Rep. Sara Jacobs Statement on DoD’s Efforts to Strengthen Service Members’ Access to Reproductive Care
Following the Department of Defense’s announcement today strengthening access to reproductive care for service members, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51) released the following statement:
“Even though our service members volunteered to serve in our Armed Services, they didn’t volunteer to give up their reproductive rights. In the post-Roe era, that’s the new reality for service members who don’t necessarily get to choose where they are stationed and could live in states that are hostile to abortion rights. So I’m glad that the DoD is using its power to facilitate commanders’ approval and cover the travel expenses and leave for service members seeking reproductive health care. But we still have more work ahead like ensuring the military covers the actual costs of reproductive care, including abortion and fertility treatments. We need to empower and support our service members to make their own health care decisions – and ensure we’re not taking away their freedom.”
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs has championed reproductive rights, including for service members, throughout her tenure in Congress. Last term, she was a co-lead of the MARCH for Servicemembers Act and an original cosponsor of the Access to Reproductive Care for Servicemembers Act, which would protect service members’ right to abortion care in the military, regardless of where they’re stationed and that state’s abortion laws. Last year, she also introduced an NDAA amendment, which passed the House, that would expand access to assisted reproductive health services, like IVF, to all service members who sustain an injury or illness on active duty that affects their ability to have children – including LGBTQ+ and unmarried service members.
###