Major Victory: Shaheen Amendment Included in Final Version of Defense Bill
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Together, we sent more than 118,000 letters urging Congress to grant military women the same rights they fight to protect every day, by supporting the Shaheen amendment, and they listened.
Yesterday, a bipartisan conference committee agreed to include the Shaheen amendment in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, taking a major step to bring military health care in line with the rest of the federal government. It’s a huge success, and we thank Senator Jeanne Shaheen for leading the way!
Under current policy, if a woman in the military is raped and wants a safe and legal abortion, she must pay for it on her own dime—without insurance coverage—despite the fact that government sponsored health insurance covers this service for federal employees and Medicaid recipients. But, with the passage of this critical protection, this wrong will be righted.
With the support of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, military officials, and even former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the 65th United States secretary of state, Colin Powell, the amendment was successfully passed out of committee and included in the final version of the bill.
Women in the military risk their lives every day fighting for our freedoms, now it’s time they enjoy the same freedoms in return.
