Both President Barack Obama and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney regularly talk about the needs of our military men and women. Yet they are not addressing a serious military issue — access to reproductive care for military women.
Military women do not have coverage for abortion care, including in cases of rape and incest. Yet 52 military women are raped every day, according to the Pentagon, and hundreds of female soldiers are at risk of becoming pregnant from rape each year.
The Republican Party platform supports a constitutional amendment banning all abortions — including for victims of rape. However, after Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) made his now infamous “legitimate rape” comment, Romney did say that his administration would not oppose abortions in cases of rape. The Democratic Party unequivocally supports a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including access to safe and legal abortions, regardless of her ability to pay.
Neither party, however, has yet delivered for our nation’s military women.
The above excerpt was originally published in Politico.
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