Western South Dakota News

U.S. Senators John Thune and Cindy Hyde-Smith have sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, urging him to clarify the Department of Defense's implementation of conscience protections for military personnel and civilians involved in carrying out the Biden administration's abortion leave and travel policy. The senators expressed concern about the potential violation of sincerely held moral and religious convictions and called for the responsibility of implementing the policy to rest solely on Secretary Austin.

In the letter, the senators highlighted the Biden administration's willingness to disregard established federal policy in order to use taxpayer funds to support all aspects of abortion except the procedure itself. They criticized a memorandum issued by Secretary Austin on February 16, 2023, which allows federal dollars to be used for administrative absence and travel related to non-covered reproductive health care. Thune and Hyde-Smith argued that this policy undermines the Hyde Amendment and Section 1093 of the United States Code, and could infringe on the deeply held beliefs of those tasked with implementing it.

"Our military leaders selflessly answer the call to serve our nation, assuming great personal risk and sacrifice," the senators wrote. "Their responsibilities already require tremendous testing of the soul and spirit. It is a mistake to tax them further by compelling them to play even a perfunctory role in the Biden administration's abortion leave and travel policy. Implementation of this ill-advised policy should fall squarely on you, and you alone."

The senators also raised concerns about the potential impact on military personnel, citing the exodus of experienced professionals who chose to leave the armed forces when their religious accommodation requests during the pandemic were denied. They emphasized the importance of respecting the deeply held convictions of servicemembers and avoiding further separations.

To address these concerns, Thune and Hyde-Smith requested information on the Department of Defense's implementation of conscience protections, as required by Section 533(a)(1) of Public Law 112-239. They posed a series of questions to Secretary Austin, seeking clarity on the department's process for respecting sincerely held moral and religious convictions, as well as the approval process for administrative absence and travel allowances related to non-covered reproductive health care.

The senators concluded the letter by expressing their expectation for swift attention to this matter. The ball is now in Secretary Austin's court to provide the requested information within 30 days of receiving the letter.

It remains to be seen how the Department of Defense will respond to the senators' concerns and whether any changes will be made to the implementation of the abortion leave and travel policy.