“Nothing is more important to me or to this Department than the health and well-being of our Service members, the civilian workforce and DOD families,” the Pentagon chief announced. “I am committed to taking care of our people and ensuring the readiness and resilience of our Force. The Department is examining this decision closely and evaluating our policies to ensure we continue to provide seamless access to reproductive health care as permitted by federal law.”

“The biggest challenge currently is the lack of complete freedom to travel when you want to travel without having to get permission from a supervisor,” former Air Force JAG officer and Southwestern law professor Rachel Vanlandingham said. “Now, women serving here stateside are going to be subject to the whims [of the states] that they are involuntarily assigned to.”