Letter to Rep. Loretta Sanchez in Support of the Freedom of Choice for Women in the Uniformed Services Act, HR 1350

May 10, 1999

The Honorable Loretta Sanchez
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative Sanchez:  

As members of the public health care community as well as organizations concerned about women's health, we write to express our support for your bill, HR 1350, the Freedom of Choice for Women in the Uniformed Services Act. HR 1350 would ensure equal access to comprehensive reproductive health care for all U.S. servicewomen and dependents, regardless of where they are stationed.  

As you know, current law limits the range of reproductive health services provided to servicewomen and military dependents serving overseas, even when they pay for these services with their own money. HR 1350 does not require the Department of Defense to pay for abortions; it would simply repeal the current ban on privately funded abortion services.  

Women serving in the military overseas need to be able to depend on their base hospitals for medical care, especially when stationed in areas where local health care facilities are inadequate. The current ban may cause a woman seeking an abortion to delay the procedure while she looks for a safe provider, or may force a woman to seek an illegal, unsafe procedure locally.  

We strongly believe that there is no compelling reason to prevent women serving in our armed forces overseas from using their own funds to receive procedures legally available in hospitals located in the United States. The current policy of limiting health care choices based on duty station potentially threatens the health of military women and needlessly limits the medical options available to military caregivers.  

Thank you for your efforts to ensure access to reproductive health care for our military women.  

American Association of University Women
American Civil Liberties Union
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Medical Women's Association
Americans for Democratic Action
Catholics for a Free Choice
Center for Reproductive Law and Policy
Feminist Majority
Human Rights Campaign
National Abortion Federation
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League
National Council of Jewish Woman
National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association
National Organization for Women
NOW-Legal Defense and Education Fund
National Partnership for Women and Families
National Women's Law Center
People for the American Way
Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice