By Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (24-year Army veteran)
and Marilyn Musgrave
Democrats once supported the “safe, legal, and rare” approach to abortion and agreed that the United States government should refrain from using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion at any time on demand for any reason.
That was then. Democratic Party leaders have utterly abandoned reasonable policies, instead seeking to enshrine abortion for any reason up until birth, paid for by taxpayers, nationwide.
Most recently, the Biden administration has begun illegally funding abortion travel for military service members and their dependents through the Department of Defense (DoD).
If you think that sounds ridiculous, you’re not alone.
Among the countless dire issues, needs, and concerns that our nation and military are facing — including record call volume to veterans’ mental health crisis line — the Biden administration has prioritized taxpayer-funded abortions, and they are willing to break the law to do it.
Last October, the Department of Defense announced plans to give service members up to 20 weeks to notify their commanding officer of a pregnancy, up to 21 days of administrative absence for elective abortions, as well as travel allowances for abortions.
This guidance was part of a new DoD initiative intended to help fund “non-covered reproductive health care” for service members and their dependents.
As if that wasn’t enough, just last year Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough published an interim final rule that illegally allowed the agency to fund abortion on demand for each of its employees and their family members.
The rule would transform VA hospitals into abortion outposts around the country, allowing for abortion on demand far past the point when unborn children have heartbeats and can feel pain.
Americans should be deeply shocked by both of these proposals, which directly violate U.S. laws prohibiting funding for elective abortions, such as travel and transportation.
For example, 10 US Code § 1093, which was made permanent by Congress in 1984, explicitly forbids the Department of Defense from paying for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is endangered. It also prohibits the use of DoD facilities, including medical facilities, for performing abortions except in these tragic and rare cases.
Finally, the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 specifically prohibits the VA from covering abortions. Ironically, the very same Joe Biden who is fighting to break long-standing laws and force taxpayers to fund such egregious policies once voted in favor of this law.
What’s most striking, however, is the Biden administration’s blatant disregard for issues our veterans are begging to have recognized.
With the money the administration is spending on services related to abortions, it could instead expand services for veterans as they transition to civilian life, expand mental health services for active-duty service members and veterans, and improve care at our VA hospitals. The list of services that should be prioritized over taxpayer-funded abortions is extensive.
Service members have devoted their lives to protecting our freedoms, and it’s our duty to ensure they’re provided with the best possible care.
Unfortunately, in just a few decades, President Joe Biden has lost sight of that reality, and instead has chosen to use veterans and their families as pawns to impose a pro-abortion agenda across the nation, even where state law protects life.
Sixty percent of Americans oppose tax dollars funding elective abortions, and seven in 10 support stronger protections for our nation’s most vulnerable children and their mothers.
Our military exists to defend, serve, and protect our nation, especially the innocent and defenseless, and uphold our Constitution and its laws.
Biden’s radical, illegal abortion rules not only ensure the brutal deaths of thousands of unborn children — they undermine the morale and purpose of our military and the rule of law under the guise of compassion for our military heroes and veterans.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks is a U.S. representative for Iowa and serves as chairwoman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health. She is a 24-year Army veteran. The Hon. Marilyn Musgrave is Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s vice president of government affairs.
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