I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8916 
To establish leave policies of the Armed Forces for a member to seek an 
abortion. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 
Mr. CROW (for himself, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Ms. NORTON, 
Ms. STRICKLAND, Ms. DEAN, Ms. PORTER, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Flor-
ida, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mrs. TORRES of California, Ms. 
LEE of California, Mr. EVANS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. BROWNLEY, and Ms. 
SHERRILL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee 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 are moving 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. 
(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 
access the care they need. The decision to terminate 
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a pregnancy should not depend on the discretion or 
judgment of a military commander. 
(6) The Army has recognized that abortion is 
a time sensitive-procedure and access 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) 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, 
and those stationed in rural and other medically un-
derserved areas. 
(9) 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. 
(10) 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 
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military families should not be determined by the 
personal beliefs of others. 
(11) 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— 
(1) consider such care to be time-sensitive and 
therefore approve leave for such abortion care; and 
(2) not require the member to disclose to a 
commanding officer the time-sensitive care or proce-
dure being received during such leave. 
(b) REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAVEL.—In a jurisdic-
tion where abortion is prohibited or inaccessible, the Sec-
retary concerned shall reimburse the member for costs in-
curred by the member to travel to a different jurisdiction 
for an abortion. 
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