Today Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), without including a key provision that would improve access to basic contraceptive care and counseling for non-Active Duty service members and military families.
President and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health and ob/gyn in D.C. Dr. Jamila Perritt responds:
“It is disappointing that behind closed doors, birth control opponents have once again blocked efforts to ensure servicemembers and their families have access to the birth control coverage they need. This critical provision, which would have required TRICARE to cover birth control without copays for non-Active Duty servicemembers and dependents in the same way other people across the country have coverage, is essential to ensuring the health and well-being of individuals and their families who have served our country.
Congress has once again blown an opportunity to fix existing inequities
“Congress has once again blown an opportunity to fix existing inequities. And they do so on the heels of a devastating Supreme Court decision that greenlit Texas’s dangerous abortion ban and as the Supreme Court has signaled a willingness to overturn Roe v. Wade. It is clear this is part of the same coordinated effort to undermine access to reproductive health care. As a network of providers across the country we will not back down. And we will continue the work with our champions in Congress to ensure everyone can get the comprehensive reproductive health care they need when they need it.”