Women who are brutally raped in the U.S. military should not have to pay for their own abortions, but they do. Under current federal statute, the Department of Defense (DoD) permits coverage for abortion care to instances when the pregnant woman’s life is in danger. Abortion is not covered in cases of rape and incest. This restriction leaves women who are raped without resources and support.
According to a DoD news release from March 2010, “in fiscal 2009, a total of 3,230 reports of sexual assault were filed, involving military members as either victims or subjects, which is an 11 percent increase from fiscal 2008.” In the military as in civilian society, most sexual assaults go unreported. The 2010 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty, conducted by the Defense Manpower Data Center, found that 4.4% of female military members experience unwanted sexual contact, while only 28% of female military members who experience unwanted sexual contact report it.
Because the Department of Defense does not pay for their abortions, female service members impregnated after being raped often resort to paying for their own abortions at unsanitary local service providers in hostile environments like Afghanistan and Iraq. This policy endangers both the physical and emotional health of female soldiers and should not be tolerated.
The Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health Act (MARCH) would provide coverage for women receiving abortions in cases of rape and incest as well as allow these women to have privately-funded abortions at military treatment facilities.
For all of these reasons, the WCC has launched a petition urging NY Senators and other members of the Senate Committee on Armed Forces to present MARCH during Senate consideration of the FY12 National Defense Authorization Act.
Please stand with us and add your name to this vital petition!
