Seems like congressional republicans really
hate the female troops!
Despite pervasive sexual assault in the U.S. military, women who become pregnant as a result of rape while serving in the military are denied abortion coverage under their health plans -- a policy that will remain in place, the Senate decided on Wednesday.
Under current policy, pregnant women in the military are only able to use their insurance plans to pay for abortions if their lives are at risk. Civilians who work for the government or rely on Medicaid, by contrast, can use their insurance to pay for abortions in cases of rape and incest as well. Even rape survivors in federal prisons receive government-funded abortion coverage.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced an amendment to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that would lift the ban on military insurance coverage for abortions in cases of rape and incest, providing military women with reproductive health coverage that is equal in scope to that of civilians. But Senate leadership decided against allowing a vote on the amendment Wednesday, ruling it non-germane. A spokesman for Shaheen said he did not know why the Parliamentarian had made that decision.
In related news, Sen. Bubba T. Baggersky was quoted as saying "Those bitches were asking for it!"
