Army will consider soldiers’ requests not to serve in states that ban abortion, top general says
The Army will consider requests from soldiers who want to serve in states where abortion is still legal, the service’s chief of staff said in an interview published Wednesday, pledging that the Pentagon will “try to make it work for them” if possible.
During a virtual forum with the news outlet Defense One, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville stressed that the Army’s needs will come first. He said that soldiers can make requests to serve in a specific locale, but there is no guarantee such accommodations will be made.
Gen. McConville‘s comments underscore the tightrope the Pentagon is walking in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s June decision reversing the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which established a national right to abortion.
After that ruling, top Pentagon officials said limited abortions will continue in military facilities even in states that ban the practice. And Wednesday’s comments from Gen. McConville seem to suggest that the Defense Department will try to avoid potential conflicts between state law and soldiers’ beliefs on the controversial issue.
“We’re always looking at how we can take care of our soldiers, and any impact that policy may have. We stay out of the policy mode, as you know, and the laws, and what we’re going to do is — we’re committed to taking care of our soldiers and families,” he said during the interview, which was recorded two weeks ago and released Wednesday. --->READ MORE HERE
Army to try to accommodate soldiers who want to avoid states with abortion bans"
The Army’s top general said that the service branch will attempt to accommodate soldiers and recruits who want to avoid serving in states that have placed restrictions on abortion access.
Chief of staff Gen. James McConville said in an interview with Defense One published on Wednesday that soldiers or recruits will be able to request a deployment to a state with legal abortion, but that it won’t be a rubber-stamp process.
“We do have options where a soldier can say, ‘Hey, I want to serve in Alaska,’ and if we can meet those preferences, we will actually do that. But as far as, 'I'm only going to serve in these states' or 'I'm going to do that.' ... It’s a contract … and if we can make it work, we’ll try to make it work for them.” --->READ MORE HERE
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