Military service members seeking an abortion may be granted travel allowances and up to three weeks of paid leave to terminate their pregnancies under a new Defense Department policy announced on Feb. 16.
Under the new policy, which takes effect within the next month, service members will have up until 20 weeks gestation to notify their commanders of their pregnancy status.
While noting that service members may need to disclose certain health information for their requests to be authorized, the policy states that those seeking “non-covered reproductive health care services” may be granted an administrative absence of up to 21 days of paid administrative leave and, where required, “allowances” for travel and transportation….