I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6357 
To establish leave policies of the Armed Forces for a member to seek an 
abortion. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 9, 2023 
Ms. SHERRILL (for herself, Ms. HOULAHAN, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. CROW, Mr. 
SMITH of Washington, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. NORCROSS, 
Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. 
KEATING, Mr. KIM of New Jersey, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. GOLDEN of Maine, 
Ms. JACOBS, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. RYAN, Mr. JACKSON of North Caro-
lina, Mr. VASQUEZ, Mr. DELUZIO, Ms. TOKUDA, Ms. MCCLELLAN, Ms. 
SEWELL, Mr. HORSFORD, and Mr. PANETTA) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To establish leave policies of the Armed Forces for a member 
to seek an abortion. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Access to Reproductive 
Care for Servicemembers Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Following the Supreme Court’s decision to 
eliminate the right to abortion, States across the 
country have moved swiftly to ban abortion access, 
leading to even greater barriers to care for military 
families. 
(2) Access to abortion care is essential to a per-
son’s health and central to their economic and social 
well-being. Bans and restrictions on abortion delay 
access to abortion care and therefore increase costs 
for members of the Armed Forces seeking care. The 
consequence of these delays and barriers could mean 
that a person is forced to carry a pregnancy against 
their will, which can greatly affect their bodily au-
tonomy, financial stability, and overall well-being. 
(3) The Armed Forces have a large presence in 
many States poised to ban or restrict access to abor-
tion, many of which also neighbor States that would 
likely ban abortion. 
(4) Members of the Armed Forces seeking care 
off-base may be limited in their ability to do so due 
to restrictions on leave or travel restrictions imposed 
by their unit. 
(5) Restrictions on receiving approval to take 
leave for abortion care interfere with a member of 
the Armed Forces’ health, well-being, and right to 
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access the care they need. The decision to terminate 
a pregnancy should not depend on the discretion or 
judgment of a military commander. 
(6) The Secretary of Defense has recognized 
that abortion is a time sensitive-procedure and ac-
cess should not be delayed for members or military 
families. 
(7) When a member of the Armed Forces de-
cides to obtain an abortion, it should be available, 
affordable, private, and free from punishment, re-
prisal, or judgment by the member’s chain of com-
mand. 
(8) Commanders or approval authorities have a 
duty to display objectivity, compassion, and discre-
tion when addressing all health care matters, includ-
ing reproductive health care matters, and to enforce 
existing policies against discrimination and retalia-
tion. 
(9) The harms of abortion-specific restrictions 
fall most heavily on people who already face barriers 
to accessing health care including people with low in-
comes, such as junior members, and Black, Indige-
nous, and people of color, immigrants, young people, 
people with disabilities, the LGBTQI+ community, 
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and those stationed in rural and other medically un-
derserved areas. 
(10) Equal access to abortion care, everywhere, 
is essential to social and economic participation, 
equality, reproductive autonomy, and the right to de-
termine a person’s own life and future. 
(11) The denial of leave for an abortion or any 
other reproductive health service violates the rights 
of members of the Armed Forces. Access to care for 
military families should not be determined by the 
personal beliefs of others. 
(12) In addition to the health and well-being 
implications for members of the Armed Forces and 
their families, the failure to address these issues will 
contribute to the challenges that the Armed Forces 
faces in attracting and retaining personnel, thereby 
negatively affecting military strength and readiness. 
SEC. 3. LEAVE FOR A MEMBER OF THE ARMED FORCES FOR 
ABORTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned (as such 
term is defined in section 101 of title 10, United States 
Code) shall, with regards to abortion care for a member 
of the Armed Forces or the dependent of such a member— 
(1) consider such care to be time-sensitive and 
therefore approve leave for such abortion care; and 
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(2) not require the member or dependent to dis-
close to a commanding officer the time-sensitive care 
or procedure being received during such leave. 
(b) REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAVEL.—The Secretary 
concerned shall reimburse a member or dependent of a 
member for costs incurred to travel to a clinic that pro-
vides abortion care and services if timely access to abor-
tion services is not available near the member or depend-
ent’s location. 
(c) PRIVACY.—Health care providers of the Defense 
Health Agency and commanding officers shall, to the 
greatest extent practicable, protect the privacy of a mem-
ber who takes leave under this section, including when 
such member makes a request for such leave and when 
such member returns to duty. 
(d) PROHIBITION.—No member of the Armed Forces 
may be subject to any adverse action for requesting, tak-
ing, or granting leave under this section. 
Æ 
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