Washington D.C. – Modern Military Association of America is proud to support U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-NH), Protecting Service Members and Military Families’ Access to Health Care Act. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Shaheen’s legislation would codify the Department of Defense’s February 2023 policy to ensure service members and their families can access non-covered reproductive healthcare, including abortion services, regardless of the state in which they are stationed.
MMAA is hopeful that despite severely limited access to abortion care due to the Hyde Amendment and other unofficial barriers within the military that this legislation will allow for bodily autonomy for service members and their families who are stationed on bases in states by no choice of their own.
Rachel Branaman, interim executive director for MMAA, stated,
“Over 400,000 women, an estimated several thousand transgender men, as well as individuals who identify as non-binary or a different gender serve on active duty or reserve components of the Armed Forces. Restricted abortion access fall most heavily on people who already face barriers to accessing healthcare, including the LGBTQ+ community. The Protecting Service Members and Military Families’ Access to Health Care Act helps reduce the barriers already facing service members and their loved ones by making permanent a Department of Defense policy expanding access to abortion and fertility care. We are grateful to Senator Shaheen for protecting our service members and ultimately, national security with this legislation.”
Bill text of the legislation is available here.
