Restrictive state polices around reproductive health care is having an "extremely significant impact" on the U.S. military's recruiting and retention rate, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.
The Pentagon's policy on abortion care for service members was in the spotlight last week as the House debated over several controversial measures to add to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). On Friday, with the help of four Democrats, House Republicans successfully passed the NDAA, including an amendment that would undo the Department of Defense (DoD) policy to reimburse military members and their dependents for travel costs related to receiving an abortion outside of their assigned state.
Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has also brought debates over military reproductive health care to the Senate floor, blocking the chamber from confirming hundreds of senior military promotions in protest of the DoD's abortion policies. Tuberville's home state of Alabama has one of the strictest abortion laws in the U.S. since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and completely bans the procedure unless the life of the mother is at serious risk.
While funneling questions at a press briefing Monday, Kirby told reporters that the DoD's policies on abortion are vital for military readiness, pointing to the fact that women make up roughly 20 percent of all service members.
"We're an all-volunteer force," Kirby continued. "Nobody's forcing you to sign up and go, people volunteer to go ... you raise your right hand, you say, 'I'm going to do this for a few years or even my life, and it might cost me my life to do it.'"
"And when you sign up and you make that contract, you have every right to expect that the organization, in this case the military, is going to take care of you and they're going to take care of your families," he added.
Kirby noted that additional policies within the DoD, such as paying for gender-affirming care for service members and their families or pursuing certain diversity and equality programs, play an important role in upholding the "dignity" of service members. Such policies were also blocked in the NDAA draft.
He also recalled a meeting he held with active duty members and military spouses at the White House a few weeks ago, during which all 201 guests said that restrictive abortion laws were impacting their willingness to continue to serve.
"So if you don't think there's going to be a retention and morale issue, think again, because it's already having that," Kirby added.
"Not to mention, it's just the right darn thing to do for people that raise their hand and agreed to serve in the military," he concluded.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email Monday for additional comment.
Texas Representative Ronny Jackson, who introduced the House's amendment to block the DoD's abortion policies, celebrated his measure's passage last week over Twitter, writing that it was "a GREAT DAY for our country."
"My amendment to STOP [President Joe] Biden from using the DoD to pay for abortion travel PASSED," Jackson wrote. "This policy is ILLEGAL, and soon, it will be GONE."
Restrictions are already in place for when federal funding can be used to pay for abortion procedures, and the Pentagon only covers the procedure itself in cases of rape, incest or if the life of the mother is at risk. However, the department determined in the fall when introducing its new policies on reproductive health care that the DoD "may lawfully expend funds to pay for service members and their dependents to travel to obtain abortions that DoD cannot itself perform."
Abortion — The political divide:
The abortion debate in the U.S. was not always split along today's political lines. Until the mid-1980s, support was roughly evenly split between the two main parties, with Democrats somewhat less supportive than Republicans, according to the General Social Survey.
Abortion — A Republican shift:
Republicans' stance began to change after the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973, which made abortion a constitutional right. Influential conservative activists and church leaders campaigned against it, presenting it as emblematic of what they saw as the negative liberalization of society, along with other issues such as gay rights and divorce.
Abortion — A landmark decision:
In 2022, the largely Republican-appointed Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving decisions on abortion rights to state and federal lawmakers. Now, 80% of Democratic voters believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared to just 38% of Republican voters, according a 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center think tank.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
