{"id":291703,"date":"2023-05-24T16:43:05","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T21:43:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=291703"},"modified":"2023-05-23T13:01:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T18:01:53","slug":"veterans-letter-block-military-abortion-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/veterans-letter-block-military-abortion-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans sign letter supporting blockage of military nominees over abortion policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hundreds of veterans and an organization representing more than 2,500 military chaplains have signed onto a letter defending Sen. Tommy Tuberville\u2019s (R-Ala.) decision to hold Pentagon nominees until the U.S. military reverses its decision to fund abortion tourism.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no truth more profound than the fact that all human life is sacred,\u201d reads the letter, which the <\/span>Daily Signal<\/span><\/a> published last week.<\/span><\/p>\n

It reads, \u201cThe mission of the United States Military is to defend and protect all American lives \u2013 not subsidize the practice of destroying innocent and vulnerable American children via abortion with taxpayer dollars. By pledging to hold these nominations to the Department of Defense until administration officials reverse course, Senator Tuberville is doing a great service for the American people \u2013 including its service members.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the signatories were Reps. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Ronny Johnson (R-Texas), Andrew S. Clyde (R-Ga.), and <\/span>Anna Paulina Luna<\/span><\/a> (R-Fla.), who has been vocal in calling for <\/span>justice for the five<\/span><\/a> nearly full-term aborted babies found in medical waste bins outside of a D.C. abortion clinic.<\/span> Also included was the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty whose signature \u201cincludes 32 endorsers and partners that represent the position of over 2,500 military chaplains,\u201d according to the letter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Walgreens<\/a><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>The Hill<\/span><\/a>, Tuberville has been holding up nominees since February. He <\/span>threatened<\/span><\/a> to block nominees as far back as December after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released his memo announcing intentions to support servicemembers\u2019 abortions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Feb. 16, the Defense Department issued its <\/span>policy<\/span><\/a> providing 21 days of paid leave for individuals and dependents of those who receive non-covered abortions. \u201cCovered abortions\u201d are those the military funds and include situations where the life of the mother is considered to be in danger or involving a pregnancy that resulted from rape or incest (The Hyde Amendment prevents taxpayer funding for other abortions). The military\u2019s policy also <\/span>opened the possibility<\/span><\/a> of travel and transportation allowances while clarifying that \u201c[t]he non-covered reproductive health care is at the Service member\u2019s expense.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear how many abortions would result but the Rand Corporation <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> one of its surveys indicated \u201cas many as 4,100 active-duty U.S. service women seek abortion care each year.\u201d Women in the military, like Bethany Saros, have said they are often pressured into abortion. “The unspoken code is that a good soldier will have an abortion…” said<\/a> Saros.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tuberville\u2019s decision has caused quite a stir with backlash coming from both sides of the aisle.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hill reported that Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she preferred Tuberville \u201cfocus his holds on political appointees.\u201d An unnamed Republican senator suggested Tuberville was undermining military readiness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur country faces significant challenges, we have a significant adversary that is threatening our country\u2019s national security and well-being, and we need a full team in place,\u201d the senator reportedly said according to The Hill. \u201cThe circumstances we find ourselves in is a real threat to the future of our country. It\u2019s not a time for us to be divided; it\u2019s also not a time to not have all of our players on the field.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week\u2019s letter argues instead that the military\u2019s readiness has been harmed by the Biden administration\u2019s \u201cpoliticized agenda\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n

While some claim that Sen. Tuberville\u2019s position is negatively impacting military readiness, the Department of Defense has failed to present any evidence that substantiates this claim. To the contrary, it appears true that the politicized agenda of Secretary Austin and the Biden administration are significantly diminishing military readiness. The American people, including its servicemembers, are disappointed by President Biden and Secretary Austin\u2019s recent decisions to mandate receipt of the COVID-19 vaccines, promote the radical LGBT agenda, and now subsidize abortion. Because of these policies, the military now faces an unprecedented crisis of recruitment \u2013 missing its recruitment goal for the first time ever last year. The focus of our military must be on keeping the American people safe, not advancing the left-wing social <\/span><\/i>agenda.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

That letter went to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) \u2013 both of whom have <\/span>expressed opposition<\/span><\/a> to Tuberville\u2019s interest in blocking nominees. Besides the veterans, Tuberville has received support from a series of conservative and pro-life groups as part of <\/span>another letter<\/span><\/a> reported on in March.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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7 former Secretaries of Defense from Republican and Democratic administrations are not mincing words:<\/p>\n

They\u2019re saying GOP Senator Tuberville\u2019s blanket holds on the nominations of senior military leaders are \u201charming military readiness and risks damaging US national security\u201d pic.twitter.com\/WqjjFQia2R<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) May 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n