Sherrill Blasts Secretary Hegseth’s Decision to Rescind the DoD’s Abortion Travel Policy
WATCH: Sherrill Fights Back Against Attempt to Prevent Servicewomen From Traveling for
READ: Mikie Sherrill Thinks Tommy Tuberville’s Abortion Stunt Has Gone on Far Too Long
LIVINGSTON, NJ — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) released the following statement following the Department of Defense’s (DoD) decision to rescind a policy that allows service members to travel for abortion care:
“Last night, the Department of Defense announced that they have rescinded a policy that allows servicewomen and military families to travel for abortion care when they are stationed in states with draconian abortion bans.
“This is deeply personal to me. I was stationed in states like Texas and Florida, where I wouldn’t have had healthcare access if I was serving today. Now, I have a daughter in the Navy. I’ve gone toe-to-toe with Senator Tommy Tuberville and House Republicans as they tried three times to rescind this important policy and failed. Now, I’m going to take the fight to President Donald Trump and Secretary Hegseth.
“We ask our servicewomen to put their lives on the line while serving across the globe to protect our country – they shouldn’t have to risk their lives while stationed in a state with severe abortion bans like Texas or Florida.
“The DoD’s decision will endanger the health of our servicewomen. It’ll relegate women to second-class citizens in our armed forces. And it will worsen our recruitment and retention crisis as Americans think twice about answering the call to serve, leaving critical roles across the globe vacant, and showing weakness to our adversaries. I refuse to let this administration harm our servicewomen and military families.”
Sherrill has been the leading voice in Congress in protecting abortion rights for servicewomen and military families. She spearheaded the fight against Senator Tommy Tuberville’s efforts to overturn the Department of Defense’s abortion policy and introduced legislation that would codify the policy into law. House Republicans refused to consider Sherrill’s legislation.
READ MORE:
- NPR: Rep. Sherrill denounces controversial amendments blocking passing of the NDAA
- New Jersey Globe: Sherrill-led NDAA amendment would codify Defense Department’s abortion travel policies
- The 19th: Inside the fight over military abortion access
WATCH MORE:
- Morning Joe: Rep. Sherrill: Shocking to see GOP members be so out of step with the military
- @RepSherrill: We send servicewomen overseas to risk their lives for their country. We should not be sending them to Texas or Florida or Idaho to risk their lives giving birth.
- MSNBC: Rep. Mikie Sherrill: Tuberville’s 'unconscionable' military promotions blockade hurts ‘readiness’
Representative Sherrill continues to lead in the fight for servicewomen and women’s health in Congress. 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 fought for 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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