The Honorable Gene Taylor

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative Taylor,

On behalf of Concerned Women for America's (CWA) 500,000 members nationwide, I am writing today to thank you for your letter to both the House and Senate leadership urging them to reject any language in the DOD Authorization bill which would expand abortion in government-owned and operated military medical facilities.

Our members were alarmed to hear that the Senate Armed Services Committee agreed to an amendment offered by Senator Roland Burris (D-Illinois) to overturn previous policies and allow abortions to be performed on both domestic and overseas military installations.

The 1996 statute of Section 1093 (b) of Title 10 of the US Code, signed into law by President Clinton, ensured that DOD medical facilities would not serve as abortion clinics. The fact that the Burris amendment strikes this part of the US Code would make the US military, a force meant to defend American lives, a facilitator of the destruction of the unborn. Military treatment centers should focus on healing and caring for individuals, not on taking lives of those in the womb.

Repealing the abortion ban on military facilities would place military physicians and medical workers with moral or religious objections to abortion in difficult situations. When Clinton lifted the ban in 1993, the government had to hire civilians to perform abortions in military facilities—at taxpayer expense-- because medical personnel refused to perform these services. With the current economic struggles that our country is facing, we do not need to impose further financial strains on our military.

It is unfathomable to think that a DOD Authorization bill would weaken or undermine current policy and allow abortions to be performed at military medical facilities both domestically or internationally, and we appreciate your addressing this important issue. We were encouraged to see that your letter had 178 signatures, and we appreciate all of the time and effort that obviously went into achieving that level of participation.

We were also encouraged that the motion to invoke cloture on the DOD Authorization bill failed in the Senate by a vote of 56-43, and know that we will continue to stand with you to prevent our military from being in the business of destroying life.

Thank you again for your letter to the House and Senate leadership, and for your leadership and efforts to protect the unborn.

Sincerely,

Penny Nance
Chief Executive Officer
Concerned Women for America