White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby defended the Pentagon’s controversial new abortion policy of paid leave, travel, and reimbursement for service members wishing to terminate their pregnancies, calling it a “foundational, sacred obligation” critical for retention and morale.
Republican opposition to the policy has frustrated leftists as Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has blocked the promotion and confirmation of senior military members as a protest against the policy, refusing to budge until it is reversed, drawing an angry response from President Joe Biden who called his position “ridiculous” and accused him of “jeopardizing U.S. security.”
Kirby’s remarks came in response to a reporter’s question on why the policy to use taxpayer funds to reimburse what one GOP senator has described as “abortion tourism” is “critical to military readiness,” during Monday’s daily press briefing, at one point forcefully stabbing his finger into the podium for emphasis.
(Video: Grabien)
“I’m really glad you asked that question,” he said to laughter in the room.
“No, I mean I really am,” he added, before launching into his spiel in which he not only argued for the abortion travel policy but also for other “woke” initiatives that have become a priority of the Pentagon since Biden took over.
After stating that the military is a voluntary profession, Kirby said, “Our policies, whether they’re diversity, inclusion, and equity or whether they’re about transgender individuals who qualify physically and mentally, to serve to be able to do it with dignity. Or whether it’s about female service members – one in five – or female family members being able to count on the kinds of health care and reproductive care specifically that they need to serve.”
“That is a foundational, sacred obligation of military leaders across the river,” he added. “And I’ve seen it myself. And it matters because it says we’re invested in you, because you are being willing to invest in us. You’re investing your life, your family’s livelihood with us. We owe you that back in return.”
Kirby then recounted meeting with a group of female military members who “to a one” told him that laws to protect the rights of the unborn that have been implemented in several states are “absolutely having an effect on their willingness to continue serving in uniform or to encourage or discourage, in this case, their spouses from continuing service.”
“So if you don’t think there’s going to be a retention and a morale issue, think again, because it’s already having that effect,” the retired Navy admiral continued. “You go where you’re told. That’s the way orders work. You go where you’re assigned. You don’t get to choose. And so what happens if you get assigned to a state like Alabama, which has a pretty restrictive abortion law in place, and you’re concerned about your reproductive care, what do you do? Do you say no and get out?”
“It can have an extremely, extremely significant impact on our recruiting and retention. Not to mention it’s just the right darn thing to do for people that raise their hand and agree to serve in the military,” he said,
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