The Department of Defense has recently disclosed partial data regarding its policy covering travel expenses for service members seeking abortion services. The policy allowed for administrative absences and provided travel and transportation allowances to grant service members and their dependents access to 'non-covered reproductive healthcare,' which encompasses services such as non-covered abortions and assisted reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization, ovarian stimulations, and egg retrieval.
According to Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh, the policy was utilized 12 times between June and December 2023, with a total cost to the Pentagon of just under $40,800. The figure represents the number of times the policy was utilized, not the number of individuals who availed of it. Specific details about the non-covered reproductive healthcare services utilized were not disclosed due to privacy concerns.
