Neither party has delivered on the reproductive care for military women, the authors say. Women in military deserve better care

Both President Barack Obama and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney regularly talk about the needs of our military men and women. Yet they are not addressing a serious military issue — access to reproductive care for military women.

Military women do not have coverage for abortion care, including in cases of rape and incest. Yet 52 military women are raped every day, according to the Pentagon, and hundreds of female soldiers are at risk of becoming pregnant from rape each year.


The Republican Party platform supports a constitutional amendment banning all abortions — including for victims of rape. However, after Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) made his now infamous “legitimate rape” comment, Romney did say that his administration would not oppose abortions in cases of rape. The Democratic Party unequivocally supports a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including access to safe and legal abortions, regardless of her ability to pay.

Neither party, however, has yet delivered for our nation’s military women. TRICARE, the military health insurance plan, only covers abortion when a woman’s life is endangered by the pregnancy.

Technically, a servicewoman is supposed to be able to obtain an abortion on base for reasons of rape and incest — if she pays for the procedure out of pocket. But because of confusion, misinformation and inconsistent policies and practices, abortion services are often unavailable in military facilities, particularly in combat zones.

An amendment to the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee, would rectify this problem by allowing TRICARE to again cover abortion services in the instance of rape or incest — as it did until 1981.

In doing so, the Shaheen Amendment would bring military policy in line with other current restrictions on coverage for abortion in government-sponsored or -managed insurance programs and plans. But as it stands now, servicewomen have less coverage for abortion than, for example, civilian federal employees or women enrolled in Medicaid.

It is particularly cruel and ironic that TRICARE denies coverage for abortions for rape and incest, given the long-standing challenges the armed services have faced in addressing sexual assault among the ranks. According to the Pentagon’s own data, 52 military women are raped every day, and we estimate that more than 300 women are likely to become pregnant from rape in the military each year.

Moreover, junior enlisted soldiers, who earn the least, are the most likely to be raped. In other words, those who are the most likely to need an abortion because of rape are the least likely to be able to afford it.

In addition, because abortion services are rarely available on base, women in the military must often travel long distances to find a safe and legal abortion provider. This means these women have to get permission to leave base and take time off from work and must disclose to a superior the reasons they need to take leave. Many soldiers, unwilling to reveal their reason or fearful of retaliation, turn to clandestine measures. These barriers are unfair, obstruct physical and psychological health and undermine military readiness.

Even among Republicans and people who are anti-abortion, there is broad support for the proposition that abortion should be allowed in cases of rape and incest. In fact, only 25 percent of Republicans would support banning abortion in cases of rape and incest, according to a recent Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

It is shocking that the Shaheen Amendment is subject to debate at all, and yet House Republicans (including Akin and GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan) have refused to add it to their version of this year’s defense authorization bill. Last year, Senate Republicans actually prevented a floor vote on the matter.

If the presidential candidates are true to their word, they should have no problem backing this straightforward measure.

Abortion coverage following rape or incest is the least that our military women deserve. It is shameful and disheartening that even this basic coverage is so difficult to obtain, for it is woefully insufficient. Congress and the administration should pass the Shaheen Amendment as a first step in working to meet all of the reproductive and sexual health needs of our servicewomen.

Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, served as assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration. Jessica Arons is the director of the Women’s Health & Rights Program at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.