Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to “ensure access to reproductive health care” for its service members, including paying them to travel to get an abortion.
In an Oct. 20 memo to the department, Austin said that the Supreme Court judgment to overturn Roe v. Wade was creating difficulties for service members—forcing them to travel greater distances, take more time off from work, and pay more out-of-pocket expenses to get abortions.
