Abortions Unavailable to Women in the Military

This is messed up!

The military, and many service members themselves, offer many counterarguments, one that says with restrictions on sexual relations in combat zones and with birth control available, deployed soldiers should not get pregnant.

Right. Absinence. Yes, we all know how well that works. And of course birth control is 100.00% effective.

In Iraq and Kuwait alone, the Army said 163 of its soldiers had become pregnant as of June 17.

But how could this happen? There are restrictions on sexual relations in combat zones! Deployed soldiers shouldn't get pregnant!

Defense Department spokesman James Turner said the military is bound by federal law to uphold the abortion ban, and that it is not in the business of providing what it considers elective procedures such as abortions.

That doesn't stop the military from offering service members vasectomies and cosmetic surgery, including liposuction, breast implants and nose jobs.

You can't get an abortion, but elective plastic surgery? Yes, of course! Nothing like a hot servicewoman with a great rack to keep up military morale!

In the case of cosmetic surgery, at least, that's because such operations are not necessarily elective, Turner said. Rather, they are aimed at keeping military surgeons up to date in reconstructive surgery, a crucial element in treating combat wounds.

Abortions offer no such payoff, said retired Army Sgt. Pauline Keehn.

Neither do vasecomies, but those are still offered!

"There are enough problems already surrounding the issue of pregnancy and its effect on deployment. Add the equation of those who choose abortion, and you have a logistical nightmare waiting to happen."

Oh. Yes. Heaven forbid the health of our soldiers get in the way of the logisitics of deployment.

Abortion rights activists say their biggest concern is women who become pregnant after rape or coerced sex with a senior officer. According to the Department of Defense, there were 1,012 reported sexual assaults of service members in 2003
and 901 in 2002.

Judas Priest!