[inaudible conversations] good morning. The military personnel subcommittee of the Armed Services committee will come to order. I want to welcome everyone to our hearing today to discuss the challenges of Service Members that are facing accessing Reproductive Health care. The Supreme Court decision in dobbs versus Jackson Womens Health organization overturned 50 years of precedent and took away the established constitutional right to an abortion. The courts stated their opinion merely returned the issue of abortion to the states, and that women can vote for whom they wish to represent their values. That servicemembers do not get to choose where they live. This leaves 230,000 servicewomen who could be ordered to a state that restricts bodily autonomy, jeopardizing a recruitment and retention efforts. Theres a map that it want to show you. This map shows the states that restrict abortion in red, along with a number of military installations within those states. As you can see, many bases
Some lawmakers have expressed concerns about recruitment and retention in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that reversed 50 years of abortion rights.
Air Force Maj. Sharon Arana was a single mother of two and a week away from graduating from officer training school when her birth control failed in 2009.