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Friday, May 20th, 2022

Overturning Roe would be disastrous for the U.S. military

Author:     Allison Gill
Source:     The Washington Post
Publication Date:     May 18, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. EDT
 Link: Overturning Roe would be disastrous for the U.S. military
Stephan:   When the U.S. converted from a conscription model military to an all-volunteer meritocracy military, I can guarantee you that not a single person involved with that transition even thought about abortion as a factor to be considered. How do I know this? Because I was part of the team that did it, and I wrote most of the speeches and Congressional testimony explaining it. Well, it turns out we missed an important consideration, as this article describes.
Thousands of demonstrators march to the Supreme Court during the abortion rights rally in D.C. on May 14.
Credit: Craig Hudson / The Washington Post

Overturning Roe v. Wade could have disastrous consequences for the U.S. armed forces, and here’s how I know: When I was 21, I was drugged and raped violently while serving in the military, a crime that resulted in pregnancy.Sign up for a weekly roundup of thought-provoking ideas and debates

Had I not had access to abortion, the assault would have ended my career and derailed my life. Should Roe be overturned and access to abortion restricted for female service members across the United States, military readiness would be directly affected.

Women make up 14.4 percent of our active-duty military and about 18 percent of our reserve and National Guard. Rape in the military is prevalent: In 2018, the Defense Department reported that roughly 20,500 service members experienced sexual assault, up from 14,900 two years before.

Many states have trigger laws banning or criminalizing abortion that will go into effect as soon as Roe is overturned […]

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