Abortion Fight Heats up in Defense Budget Debate

ABC News ^ | June 16, 2011 | Huma Khan

[lbryce]

Jessica Kenyon was applying to become an officer in the Army and had just earned her spurs when she found out she was pregnant.

Little did the now 30-year-old realize that her military career would be short-lived. Kenyon, who was sexually assaulted by another servicemember, was denied an abortion at the military hospital in North Korea where she was stationed. Instead, she was told her only option would be to find a facility in Seoul or leave the country.

"You don't speak the language. You don't necessarily know how clean everything is, so you don't want to get sick," she recalls. At military bases, "they absolutely will not do it at all, no matter what, except for the health of the mother."

Under current law, only those women whose lives are endangered can get an abortion at military hospitals. Victims of rape and incest aren't entitled to federal funds for abortion services, even though other beneficiaries of government health care, like prisoners and Medicaid recipients, are.

Abortion rights supporters are hoping to capitalize on the ongoing defense budget debate to build momentum for a provision that would allow servicemembers who are victims of rape and incest to get an abortion at military hospitals.

A number of Senate Democrats, led by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, will officially introduce the MARCH -- Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health -- Act today, following on the heels of a similar House bill that was announced last week.

The bills are likely to trigger another political fight on an issue that has become the battleground for conservatives in the current Congress. Last month, an effort by Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., to interject a similar amendment into the 2012 Defense Authorization

[lbryce]

That's it. Just about ready to throw my hands up in exasperation, frustration, anger, reeling from the relentless destruction unleashed upon us by the left-wing jack-boots that comprise Satan's army. It's almost where you don't even know the score.

[ArcadeQuarters]

We occupy North Korea?

[Marie]

I’m confused. Why is this so terrible? It looks like they’re only trying to get access to abortion for women who’ve been raped.

Physical health of the mother, rape and incest... That’s all.

(And why the heck is incest always thrown in there??)

[kdot]

There was no mention of a prosecution of the man who raped her. It’s hard to take her claim as serious without that fact, and piling on rape stats confuses this whole article. Regardless, abortion stops a beating heart. I suppor the current policy - no fed funds for abortion.

[HiTech RedNeck]

When a servicemember purposely assaults or rapes another servicemember, is the victim entitled to “civil” damages from the aggressor, or something akin to that under military code?

[cracker45]

Agree, this article smells like a very ripe, road-killed skunk!

[skr]

I’m sorry she was sexually assaulted, but killing her baby won’t make the rape go away.

[trebb]

I’m curious about the wording, “sexually assaulted” vs. “raped”. Was this a case of actual rape, or is this a case of “she started out saying yes, but as his eyes crossed, she had second thoughts”? It makes a huge difference.

[Dogbert41]

When you report being raped, one of the things that occurs during the examination and gathering of evidence is that they are given a morning after pill that ensures no pregnancy.

What? She didn’t report being raped?

You know, Roe v Wade was over just such a bogus set of circumstances, and here we are, with nearly 100 million innocent souls crying out to God without ceasing for vengeance.

[newzjunkey]

When you report being raped, one of the things that occurs during the examination and gathering of evidence is that they are given a morning after pill that ensures no pregnancy.

Uh oh! There you go, challenging their narrative. It has the odor of propaganda with the fascinating lack of specificity on their prop, Jessica Kenyon.

[newzjunkey]

Victims of rape and incest aren't entitled to federal funds for abortion services, even though other beneficiaries of government health care, like prisoners and Medicaid recipients, are.

Looks like a places to defund, thanks ABC!

[newzjunkey]

Evidently it was both.

"When I went to Korea, I was indecently assaulted by someone in my unit and later raped by someone in another unit," Jessica Kenyon, a former victim, told Press TV's U.S. Desk in a phone interview on Friday.

You made an excellent observation. Notice the ABC piece goes on to say "A Department of Defense report released last year showed that sexual assault in the military had risen ... There were more than 3,200 such reported cases in that fiscal year."

But that number, included to cause alarm, is for sexual assault which as you pointed out, and as the advocating prop, described is different from rape.

The pregnancy ended anyway:

Kenyon, who remembered herself as a gung-ho private hoping to advance through the ranks, said the incident led to her discharge, and she miscarried after flying back to the U.S.

This isn't reporting, it's agenda-driven propaganda.

[Calusa]

This isn't reporting, it's agenda-driven propaganda

It's a finely honed 'narrative' the MSM have crafted. Rape is bad so it justifies taxpayer funding of abortion. But, it works well in all their issues. For example if we oppose illegal aliens then the produce will rot in the fields, the price of food goes up and we all starve.

[arthurus]

Didn’t you hear? Pyongyang Naval Station is some of the plushest duty in the US Navy.

[arthurus]

He said her boobs were too small and it depressed her so she went out and consorted with a guy off base and got pregnant?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks lbryce.

Jessica Kenyon was applying to become an officer in the Army and had just earned her spurs when she found out she was pregnant... sexually assaulted by another servicemember, was denied an abortion at the military hospital in North Korea where she was stationed... At military bases, "they absolutely will not do it at all, no matter what, except for the health of the mother." Under current law, only those women whose lives are endangered can get an abortion at military hospitals. Victims of rape and incest aren't entitled to federal funds for abortion services, even though other beneficiaries of government health care, like prisoners and Medicaid recipients, are.

Wow, glad we've got troops stationed in North Korea. Next time those commie bastards start something, we'll be all over them like white is on rice.

The rest of this story sounds like it's some customized canned axe-grinding.

[MSF BU]

One problem with abortions at military hospitals that the article doesn't address is that there are very few doctors willing to perform abortions, even fewer in the military. There are very few military medical people willing to participate in an abortion and they are still protected via conscience clauses. The bottom line is that abortionists are largely viewed as the ‘garbage men’ of their profession recognized for little talent and even less integrity.

[Brett11]

The baby shouldn’t be punished for the sins of the father. Kill the rapist and let the baby live.

[narses]

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[MNDude]

Jessica then met up with Amina, the Syrian lesbian where they discusses Bush’s national Guard transcripts and ways to hide the decline in their climate report.