To terminate the Department of Defense memorandum relating to access to abortions, to prohibit the use of travel and transportation allowances, medical convalescent leave, and administrative absences to travel to obtain abortions, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill prohibits the Department of Defense from funding, facilitating, or providing travel allowances for military personnel or their dependents to obtain abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is endangered. It also rescinds a 2022 DoD memorandum that had expanded access to reproductive health care services.
Who Benefits and How
Anti-abortion advocacy groups benefit by achieving policy restrictions on military abortion access. Taxpayers who oppose abortion funding may view this as preventing federal funds from being used for purposes they oppose.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Military servicemembers and their dependents stationed in states with abortion restrictions face reduced access to reproductive health care. They would need to pay out-of-pocket for travel and lodging to obtain services not covered by DoD. Female servicemembers particularly bear the burden of having fewer health care options tied to their duty assignments.
Key Provisions
- Rescinds the DoD memorandum 'Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care' dated October 20, 2022
- Prohibits DoD from providing travel, lodging, or transportation allowances for abortion-related travel
- Prohibits use of medical convalescent leave or administrative absences for abortion-related travel
- Requires DoD to report on implementation of abortion-related policies
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Restricts the Department of Defense from using funds, travel allowances, or leave for military personnel to obtain abortions, and rescinds the October 2022 DoD memorandum that expanded access to reproductive health care
Key Policy Areas
Defense, Health Care, Reproductive Rights
Primary Purpose
Restricts the Department of Defense from using funds, travel allowances, or leave for military personnel to obtain abortions, and rescinds the October 2022 DoD memorandum that expanded access to reproductive health care
Policy Domains
Main Body - DoD Abortion Restrictions
Identified Gains
- Anti-abortion advocacy groups
- Taxpayers opposed to abortion funding
Identified Costs
- Military servicemembers seeking reproductive health care
- Dependents of military servicemembers
- Female servicemembers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Reed, with an amendment
Ms. Ernst (for herself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Daines, Mr. Cramer, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Congressional Armed Services Committees, Department of Defense, Dependents of military servicemembers
Department of Defense faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Congressional Armed Services Committees, Military servicemembers requiring post-abortion medical care
Negative-direction: Dependents of military servicemembers, Military servicemembers seeking reproductive health care, Military servicemembers stationed in states with abortion restrictions, Office of the Attorney General
Anti-abortion advocacy organizations
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Defense
- "the_department"
- → Department of Defense
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Modification to Department of Defense Travel Authorities for Abortion-Related Expenses Act of 2023
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology