The Catholic Church’s archdiocese serving the U.S. military community has joined the protest against new Defense Department and Veterans Affairs policies offering abortion services to active-duty personnel and vets, a protest that so far has yet to draw a response from the Biden administration.
The chastising letter from Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, made public late last week, echoes complaints by Republicans on Capitol Hill that the Defense Department and VA under President Biden have improperly expanded taxpayer-financed services for those seeking abortions in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last year striking down the Roe V. Wade decision.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, refused to comment about the April 28 letter from Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who heads the Catholic military archdiocese. The archbishop condemned what he called an “unconstitutional overreach” by Democrats in Congress to support abortion access for the military and veterans.
A Veterans Affairs spokesman said earlier the agency “will not be able to respond” to a reporter’s request for comment, citing time constraints.
The high court’s June 2022 ruling ended the constitutional right to abortion and returned the regulation of the procedure to the states.
Both the Pentagon and the VA quickly moved to enact rules designed in some cases circumvent abortion restrictions and bans passed in several states. Many U.S. military bases, for example, are located in southern and Western states that restrict abortion, and the Pentagon says it will pay for active-duty women seeking an abortion to travel to another state.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended the policy as a readiness measure, noting that women make up nearly a fifth of the U.S. active-duty military personnel.
“I am committed to taking care of our people and ensuring the readiness and resilience of our force,” Mr. Austin said last fall. “The department is examining [Supreme Court] decision closely and evaluating our policies to ensure we continue to provide seamless access to reproductive health care as permitted by federal law.”
But critics said the Pentagon and VA policies clashed with longstanding barriers against the use of taxpayer money to pay for abortions. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Alabama Republican, has effectively been holding up the confirmation and promotions of scores of military officers and civilian defense officials in protest.
The Senate last month narrowly rejected a Republican attempt to roll back similar expanded abortion services being offered by the Veterans Affairs at its health centers and facilities around the country. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska crossed party lines to sink the measure, which Mr. Biden had vowed to veto.
In his letter, Archbishop Broglio — who also heads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — wrote, “The policy and rule now in effect are morally repugnant and incongruent with the Gospel which the faithful are commissioned to share throughout the world. … Moreover, the new [Department of Defense] policy and VA rule fail to incorporate basic conscience protections, thus creating First Amendment pitfalls for military commanders and VA employees.”
The Defense Department in February issued its policy directing commanders to approve abortion travel for service members and dependents “when access to non-covered reproductive health care services is not available” in a specific location.
In a statement when the VA announced the rules, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the agency’s undersecretary for health, said the agency acted after health professionals and veteran patients “sounded the alarm that abortion restrictions are creating a medical emergency for those we serve.”
“Offering this care will save veterans’ health and lives, and there is nothing more important than that,” the doctor said.
In February, the Defense Department issued policies designed to “ensure access to non-covered reproductive health care,” including time-off policies granting an “administrative absence” to get such care and travel and transportation allowances for service members and dependents “when access to non-covered reproductive health care services is not available” in a given location.
In his letter, Archbishop Broglio encouraged Catholics to “exercise radical solidarity with mothers and families experiencing a challenging pregnancy” and support ministries that offer support to women struggling after having an abortion.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.
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