National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005 -- (House of Representatives - May 19, 2004)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 648 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 4200.
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AMENDMENT NO. 2 OFFERED BY MRS. DAVIS OF CALIFORNIA
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Chairman pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 2 offered by Mrs. Davis of California:
Add at the end of title VII the following new section:
SEC. 723. LIMITING RESTRICTION OF USE OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MEDICAL FACILITIES TO PERFORM ABORTIONS TO FACILITIES IN THE UNITED STATES.
Section 1093(b) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting "in the United States" after "Defense".
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Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Davis amendment, which would allow military women and dependents stationed overseas to obtain abortion services with their own money. I want to thank my colleague Susan Davis for her fine work on this important issue.
More than 100,000 women live on American military bases abroad. These women risk their lives and security to protect our great and powerful Nation and deserve the freedoms of our country. And yet, these women-for the past 8 years-have been denied the very Constitutional rights they fight to protect.
My colleagues, this restriction is un-American, undemocratic, and would be unconstitutional on U.S. soil. How can this body deny constitutional liberties to the very women who toil to preserve them? Mr. Speaker, as we work to promote and ensure democracy worldwide we have an obligation to ensure that our own citizens are free while serving abroad. Our military bases should serve as models of democracy at work, rather than examples of freedom suppressed.
This amendment is not about taxpayer dollars funding abortions because no Federal funds would be used for these services. This amendment is not about health care professionals performing procedures to which they are opposed because they are protected by a broad exemption. This amendment is about ensuring that all American women have the ability to exercise their Constitutional right to privacy and access safe and legal abortion services.
As our Nation works to preserve our freedom and democracy, now is not the time to put barriers in the path of our troops overseas. We know that the restriction on abortion does nothing to make abortion less necessary-it simply makes abortion more difficult and dangerous.
It is time to lift this ban, and ensure the fair treatment of our military personnel. I urge passage of the Davis amendment.
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