Sherrill, Houlahan, Goodlander Call on Secretary Hegseth to Support Service Women

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, the Department of Defense rescinded a policy that allows service members to be reimbursed for travel and transportation to receive the reproductive care they need. Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), alongside her fellow democratic women veterans in the House of Representatives, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) and Maggie Goodlander (NH-2), shared the following statement:

“As women who have served this country and know firsthand the hardships that military families face, Secretary Hegseth’s decision to strip critical protections away from service members will have devastating consequences. Reproductive health care, including fertility and abortion care, is essential to ensuring that everyone can make informed and timely decisions about their health and well-being. We are asking that these women not be stopped from accessing care based on the duty station to which they are assigned and that they maintain the ability to travel for critical health care that allows them to decide when and if they have a family.

Supporting the health of our service members is not just a moral responsibility — it is critical to protecting our readiness and national security. Service members face unique barriers to care. Many are stationed in states where abortion is banned or completely out of reach. The Department’s decision is plainly cruel and discriminatory, and it could mean service members or loved ones may be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will or give up on their plans to have a family while serving.

As veterans, we fought and stood for the freedoms of every person in this country. Now, we must fight to protect members of our military — including their right to access the health care they need when and where they need it. We call on Secretary Hegseth, who said repeatedly in his confirmation hearings how much he respects America's female warriors, to prove it.”

Background:

Under the cloak of darkness, the Department of Defense (DoD) rescinded a critical policy that allows service members to be reimbursed for travel and transportation to receive reproductive care they need but cannot access through military healthcare currently available.

Federal law now prohibits the DoD from providing abortion services at military treatment facilities and from covering an abortion under TRICARE, except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother’s life. In addition, TRICARE does not cover certain assisted reproductive services, including intrauterine insemination. To access these services, servicewomen must travel.

Under the new policy, that travel is not reimbursed, effectively punishing or penalizing our servicewomen who are based where we have stationed them. Servicemen and women do not choose where they are stationed.

Representative Sherrill continues to lead in the fight for women’s health in Congress. She  stood up for servicewomen and military families against Senator Tommy Tuberville’s efforts to overturn the Department of Defense’s abortion travel policy. Additionally, she successfully  secured an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA to codify access to year-long supplies of contraceptives to service members. Sherrill has introduced legislation to promote education about women’s heart health, and has co-led a bill to ensure women can access a full year’s supply of contraceptives, rather than just three months at a time. Finally, she is leading efforts to end “judge shopping,” a tactic used by anti-abortion advocates to gain favorable outcomes.

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