The Department of Defense has stated that it will ignore laws which restrict abortion

In a Friday statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the Pentagon will ensure that military members, civilian employees, and their families will continue to have access to “reproductive health care” in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision that same day.

Currently the Department of Defense has no policy in place to aid service members in attaining abortions, and federal law only allows military facilities to perform abortions in cases of rape, incest, or if the mother’s life is in danger.

However, Secretary Austin said the following in his statement:

“Nothing is more important to me or to this Department than the health and well-being of our Service members, the civilian workforce and DOD families.”

“I am committed to taking care of our people & ensuring the readiness & resilience of our Force. The Department is examining this decision closely & evaluating our policies to ensure we continue to provide seamless access to reproductive health care as permitted by federal law.”

“Female troops seeking the procedure already face steep hurdles to getting the care they need: They cannot get abortions at military medical facilities, & federal law also prevents troops from using their Tricare health insurance to cover the cost of the procedures at private facilities, unless the life of the mother is at risk due to the Hyde Amendment.”

In this brazen defiance of the highest court in the land’s authority, the Department of Defense is insinuating that not only will it defy state laws against abortion, but it will use federal tax money to do so.