Arthur Caplan is an ethicist at New York University School of Medicine. Wendy Dean is a Medical Officer at the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. Brendan Parent is an ethicist at NYU School of Professional Studies.

New York City police officer Wenjian Liu died while on duty in 2014. More than two years later, his daughter was born.

The birth of Liu's child was made possible through advances in assisted reproductive technology and fertility preservation, requested by Liu's wife the evening he died. His family's heartwarming story inspires hope in those who have suffered inestimable loss through service to our nation and to the public.

But such an outcome is not guaranteed for all who serve. Male service members in Iraq and Afghanistan have sustained and survived genital injuries more often than in any previous war, yet these individuals have only limited access to reproductive technology. Restoring our veterans to lives of hope, dignity, intimacy, individuality and purpose is essential to honoring their service and to our health commitment to those who sacrifice for our country.

Genital injury is extremely personal, making treatment and recovery difficult. Recovery from other combat wounds, such as brain injury, amputation and post-traumatic stress disorder, is also certainly difficult, but support for those difficult journeys is more accessible. Genital injury has received much less attention, in part in keeping with the private, devastating loss it represents. Thanks to the willingness of a few courageous individuals to speak up about their plight, support for this treatment is growing.

Care for genital injury goes beyond regaining the ability to urinate. Preserving reproductive options is equally critical for adjustment and quality of life. Public policy in the United States ought not undervalue sexuality and reproductive ability in helping injured veterans recover.

The best means to ensure family growth has been to bank gametes — either the sperm or ova — before deployment. Until January 2016, any measures taken by service members to bank gametes were at their own expense. That changed when then-Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter established a trial policy to cover gamete banking for service members, and storage for the period of the trial — through December. The Defense Department will review the policy this December, including its participation, costs and impact, before deciding to continue it.

But at the same time, some lawmakers in Congress are attempting to block access to this care. Last year, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) introduced legislation that would prevent the destruction of any embryo created with funds from the Defense Department or Department of Veterans Affairs. Such a measure would require preservation of any embryos for use in in-vitro fertilization forever, creating unsustainable costs and effectively ending assisted reproduction for many service members.

But even if access to gamete banking were guaranteed, it is only one element of ensuring fertility. The Defense Department covers assisted reproduction techniques, such as in vitro fertilization, but only for service members who are severely wounded. The technique is available at just six military treatment facilities in the United States.

Veterans Affairs, bound by legislation, provides some reproductive services to veterans, but these are not comprehensive benefits. Severely wounded service members may face medical discharge and transition to the VA system within six to 24 months after injury. This may drive service members and their families to make decisions about reproduction in the midst of intense recovery, compounding hardships and stress.

Meanwhile, female service members have additional challenges to their reproductive options. Combat injuries could make a woman incapable of gestating a child, making surrogacy her only option. This creates additional expenses that neither the Defense Department nor Veterans Affairs covers. In fact, surrogacy is not legal in all states.

It is time we finally acknowledge the impact genital injuries have on our veterans' intimacy, sexual function, reproduction and self-image. They demand a compassionate response, including fertility preservation, family growth and restorative reproductive therapies.

Veterans deserve access to the same reproductive technologies that are available to civilians. Given the sacrifice that our servicemen and women have made to our country, it is only right for the government to protect their options.