Calli Recore

Getting an abortion is a very personal decision that the government, senators or any other person should not have a say in. In February, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville began putting holds on military promotions. He has been blocking these promotions due to his stance in the pro-life movement and his disapproval of the Department of Defense Pregnancy Policy. This policy was put into place for “service members to take up to three weeks of administrative leave for abortion or fertility treatment and reimburse them for travel expenses. It gives service members more time — 20 weeks — before they have to notify commanders about their pregnancies. It also restricts health care providers from telling commanders.”

By disregarding these military promotions, Sen. Tuberville is not only putting holds on these promotions but on the military as well. According to the Secretary of Defense, these holds are “having a cascading effect, increasingly hindering the normal operations of this Department and undermining both our military readiness and our national security.” Not only are citizens and other senators opposed to these holds, but so is the Pentagon. 

The Senate is the body that approves specific military nominations and promotions. Still, just one senator can bring this process to a halt by putting holds on these nominations and promotions. When doing this, the process slows, and each promotion has to be examined individually, taking numerous hours each.

The Department of Defense (DOD) Pregnancy Policy is important to uphold and support. This policy protects those who are pregnant. The DOD will fund abortions where the pregnant person’s life is endangered if the pregnancy was carried to term or was a result of rape or incest. 

In 2016, “14,900 members (8,600 women and 6,300 men) were sexually assaulted” while serving in the military. Those numbers only reflect those who reported their incidents; 81% of victims do not report the crime.  

Keeping this policy functioning and accessible will save and protect many of our service members. Sen. Tuberville is putting a hold on the military, soldiers’ lives and America.