Access to Healthcare for Our Servicemembers

Floor Speech

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Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to fight for the fundamental rights of servicewomen and military families as they come under attack by the extreme Members of this legislative body.

When our servicemen and -women joined the Armed Forces prior to the Dobbs decision last June, they did so with the understanding that they and their families would receive comprehensive, high-quality healthcare services regardless of where they were stationed. That includes, what was a constitutionally guaranteed right at the time most joined, abortion care, no matter the State in which their base was located.

There are now 16 States that restrict access to abortion care at 16 weeks or less. Just this week, Iowa passed a 6-week ban. The servicewomen and military families serving in every one of those States are now facing a completely different healthcare landscape than when they signed up to serve.

According to one study, women in States with abortion bans are nearly three times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or soon after giving birth. These are the conditions our servicewomen and military families are facing when they are assigned to serve on military bases across this country.

In fact, since the Dobbs decision last year, 46 percent of servicemembers no longer have access to abortion care.

We can state fact after fact about the disturbing health outcomes for women in certain States or the scope of this issue after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Today, I want to go beyond the numbers and share the personal and human impact of these anti-abortion laws.

In Texas, Amanda Zurawski was 18 weeks pregnant when her water broke, putting her at high risk for developing a life-threatening infection. Doctors told Amanda that her life was in danger and the fetus was going to die. The doctors could not provide the medical care she needed because their hands were tied by Texas law.

Because she was denied an abortion, Amanda eventually developed sepsis and nearly died. Her ability to get pregnant in the future may be damaged. Amanda survived and testified before the United States Senate in April about this harrowing experience where the laws of her home State of Texas nearly killed her.

Around 120,000 servicemembers are currently serving in Texas alone. On top of that number, think of the number of family members living there with them. Our servicemembers sign up to serve our country with the understanding that one day they may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice. No servicemember should have to accept a reality where they could die as a result of the State laws where they are stationed.

In the wake of the Dobbs decision, the Department of Defense recognized that abortion is a time-sensitive procedure and access should not be delayed for members or military families. They moved swiftly to put in place policies that ensure servicewomen living in highly restrictive States could travel to another State to receive the healthcare they need. This is the bare minimum our government can do to support and protect the women who signed up to serve our Nation.

That is why I offered an amendment to this year's NDAA to codify this basic policy. My amendment was rejected, and instead, the majority in this House is moving forward with Representative Ronny Jackson's amendment that does the exact opposite.

This extremist, anti-healthcare, anti-servicemember amendment is dangerous and must be defeated.

Throughout the entire NDAA process, from the markup to the current consideration by the House, far right Members of this legislative body have tried to use the defense budget--a historically bipartisan, must- pass piece of legislation--to force their extreme agenda on our servicemembers and our country.

They are attacking servicewomen, LGBTQ+ servicemembers, immigrant servicemembers, and more. Why are they using the defense budget for this?

Because they know they can't get these highly unpopular policies passed otherwise. America is not on their side.

We cannot let them play politics with our national security. As I stand here before you, every flag officer promotion is being held up by Senator Tuberville to promote his extreme rightwing assault on women. A gentleman who was voted into office by less than 1.5 percent of the Nation is now holding our national security hostage.

As Members of Congress, it is our duty and responsibility to stand up and support our military and to ensure they have the resources and healthcare they need to do their job and defend our Nation. I will never back down from that duty, and I know my colleagues speaking here today won't either.

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