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‘TOMMY TUBERVILLE ‘Anmen Senmces
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42 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE EUILOANG ‘Aceicuttune, NUTAITION,
WASHINGTON, 2625100907 ‘AND Fonesray
22
Wnited States Senate eau, Eoyeanon
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VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
9 December 2022
‘The Honorable Lloyd J. Austin IIL
U.S. Department of Defense
1300 Defense Pentagon
‘Washington D.C. 20301-1300
Secretary Austin:
Your 20 October 2022 memo directing the Department of Defense to explore increasing access to
reproductive health care will have broad ramifications for the department's readiness, manpower, and
budget. On Wednesday, 7 December, my staff received a brief from the (acting) Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Health Affairs and learned that you plan to implement these changes by year’s end. The brief
also revealed estimates of how your plan will expand the number of abortions subsidized by the DoD. The
estimates are as exponential as they are immoral.
The department's authorities to provide for or fund abortions are governed by 10 U.S.C. § 1093 which
limits these to cases of rape, incest, or pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother. For years, the
department has averaged less than 20 abortions pet year. The brief revealed the policy intentions put forth
in your 20 October memo, “Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care,” would increase DoD-
subsidized abortions by as much as 4,100 per year. That estimate does not include dependents, which
‘your policy also intends to cover, who might seek assistance in obtaining an abortion.
This vast expansion of DoD- subsidized abortions is made worse by how your plan will provide
unrestricted access to abortion. As six states and the District of Columbia have no abortion restrictions,
‘your policy would force taxpayers to finance access to abortions without protections other states have
uly enacted such as waiting periods and prohibitions on late-term abortions. Like me, many Americans
find such abortions morally repugnant.
‘When questioned on these issues, the department could not provide analysis or estimates of how this
policy change will impact its budget, readiness, and manpower. Iti irresponsible to push forward with
such a controversial change to department policy without thorough due diligence on how this will impact
the readiness of the force.
Lastly, it is my conviction that this proposed policy change is illegal, circumvents Congress, and exceeds
‘your authority. Should you implement these proposed changes to the departments abortion policies, 1
will place a hold on all future DoD civilian and generaV/flag officer nominations.
United States Senator
Thomas More Society filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Labor, on behalf of Missouri State Representative Paul Joseph Wieland and his wife, Teresa Jane Wieland.
Testimony of Douglas K. Laube, MD, MEd Board Chair Physicians For Reproductive Health Before The Senate Committee On Health and Human Services Senate Bill 206
