From The Huffington Post, about the moderate Republican and retired Army general: "Colin Powell, former Secretary of State under president George W. Bush, urged House and Senate leaders on Monday to support Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's (D-N.H.) amendment to extend the insurance coverage of abortion to military rape survivors. 'It has been our privilege to lead and serve alongside the brave men
and women of our armed forces and we believe that they deserve the best
medical care that our country can provide,' Powell wrote in a letter
signed by dozens of military leaders. 'We were therefore greatly
disappointed to learn that, by federal statute, the Department of
Defense is barred from providing insurance coverage for abortion except
where a pregnant woman’s life is endangered. Unlike other current
federal restrictions on abortion coverage, the military ban provides no
exception for cases of rape and incest. The current policy is unfair and
must be changed.'"
The article continues: "Under current law, military servicewomen who have been raped have to
pay for their abortions out of pocket unless their lives are in
jeopardy. Civilian employees of the government, Medicaid recipients and
women incarcerated in federal prisons, meanwhile, are all granted health
plans that cover abortion in cases of rape and incest."
Colin Powell Urges Congress To Pass Abortion Amendment For Military Rape Victims
