SW News: In the United States, the Department of Defense’s policy of permitting service members from crossing state boundaries to access abortion facilities and refunding travel expenses has been voted down by the House of Representatives. It was on Thursday, July 13, that members voted 221-213 to amend the annual defense policy bill that curbs the Department of Defence from permitting doing so.

It was when the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, which legalized abortion across the country in 1973, that the Department of Defense came out with the new policy allowing service members to travel for abortion. Now, the lawmakers have voted in favor of the amendment which will force the department to rescind it.

The amendment was proposed by Representative Ronny Jackson. According to the lawmaker, the Biden administration set out to sidestep the ruling after Roe v Wade was overturned and tried to evade the law whenever it was possible. “The administration has encouraged every federal agency to create rules and adopt policies that not only expand abortion access but also leave American taxpayers on the hook to subsidize abortion services."

Jackson also referred to the Hyde Amendment, which prevents using federal funds to perform the termination of pregnancy.

"No doubt my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will insist that taxpayer dollars are not directly funding abortions thereby rendering the current policy legally sound. This is absolutely misleading," he said.

According to Representative Mikie Sherrill of the Democratic Party, the amendment places the lives of servicewomen and military families at risk “by denying the basic right to travel for healthcare no longer available where they are stationed”.