Senator Halts Pentagon Nominees Over Department’s Anti-Life Policies

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville is currently holding up over 150 Pentagon nominations to oppose the Department of Defense’s new policies promoting abortion.

On October 20, 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a memo announcing that the Pentagon would use taxpayer dollars to reimburse travel and transportation costs for service members who travel to abort their preborn child. Secretary Austin also said the Pentagon would provide leave for women to receive abortions.

Secretary Austin cited the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, as the basis for the new policy, using typical pro-abortion jargon.

“The recent Supreme Court ruling … has impacted access to reproductive health care with readiness, recruiting, and retention implications for the Force,” Secretary Austin wrote. “I am committed to the Department taking all appropriate action … to ensure that our Service members and their families can access reproductive health care.”

The secretary, among other stipulations, then directed the Department of Defense to:

Create uniform Department of Defense policy that allows for appropriate administrative absence consistent with applicable federal law for non-covered reproductive health care.
Establish travel and transportation allowances for Service members and their dependents … to facilitate official travel to access non-covered reproductive health care.

In response to the department’s new abortion policies, Sen. Tuberville placed a hold on all military and civilian nominations for the Department of Defense. This action slows down and makes it more difficult for the Senate to approve nominations made by President Biden, since the Senate would otherwise quickly approve many nominations by unanimous consent.

“The Secretary of Defense is following through with his radical plan to facilitate thousands of abortions a year with taxpayer dollars,” Sen. Tuberville said in a statement to Fox News after announcing the hold.

Sen. Tuberville continued:

As I’ve stated, if Secretary Austin wants to change law, he should go through Congress. This is an illegal expansion of DoD authority and gross misuse of taxpayer dollars – and I will hold him accountable. The American people want a military focused on national defense, not facilitating a progressive political agenda.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America recently tweeted its support of Sen. Tuberville’s actions.

Thank you, @SenTuberville, for continuing to stand strong for life and against the @DeptofDefense's unlawful new policy that uses taxpayer dollars to facilitate elective abortionshttps://t.co/w5PbSb3eal

— SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) March 22, 2023

In testimony before the Senate Armed Services committee on March 28, Secretary Austin ironically decried Sen. Tuberville’s hold on nominations, saying the senator’s move negatively impacts “families” and “kids.”

“Not approving the recommendations for promotions actually creates a ripple effect through the force that makes us far less ready than we need to be,” Secretary Austin said without evidence. “The effects are cumulative and it will affect families. It will affect kids going to schools because they won’t be able to change their duty station.”

Apparently lost on the secretary is that abortion also negatively impacts families and kids, namely, by eliminating them.

If Secretary Austin is really concerned about families and kids, he should rescind the Pentagon’s policy promoting abortion.

In a March 22 phone call between Secretary Austin and Sen. Tuberville, the senator reiterated his decision to maintain the hold on nominations unless the secretary rescinds or suspends his new pro-abortion policies.

According to one recent study cited by Sen. Tuberville, the Department of Defense’s pro-abortion policies could increase the number of abortions within the department from 20 per year to 4,100 – a 205-fold increase.

Also in the hearing of the Senate Armed Services committee on March 28, Sen. Tuberville explained the reasoning for his hold.

"This is about not forcing the taxpayers of this country to fund abortion: that's been a bipartisan consensus for more than 40 years."

Thank you, @SenTuberville, for standing for Americans (60%, including 34% of Democrats) who don't want their tax $$ to fund elective abortions. pic.twitter.com/PR116xkCAG

— SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) March 28, 2023

The Pentagon’s utilitarian, pro-abortion policies have a dark logic to them. It’s easy for the Pentagon to help pay for female troops to abort their children. It may be more difficult to provide them with longer term accommodations to support their pregnancies and eventual care for newborn babies.

But what is easy is frequently different than what is right. The U.S. military should not take sides in the abortion debate, much less use taxpayer funds to facilitate abortion.

Let’s hope Secretary Austin will reverse his pro-abortion memo to protect the integrity of the military and truly help families and children – not extinguish them.

If you are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and want to learn more about your options, visit My Choice Network.

Focus on the Family has been working to turn the cultural tide and save mothers and babies from abortion for years. Since beginning the Option Ultrasound Program in 2004, Focus has helped save nearly half a million lives.

Our goal is to save one million babies by 2025. Just $60 will save a life through Option Ultrasound. Will you partner with us to save a life from abortion here?