On Saturday, Governor Ron DeSantis blasted the Department of Defense for supporting “abortion tourism” and offered his support to Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville.
Tuberville is halting more than 300 promotions within the DOD due to the Pentagon’s abortion policy. He has only offered to lift the blockade if the department rescinds the policy.
DeSantis defended the Alabama Republican at an Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition event.
“Yes. I support what he’s doing,” DeSantis said, drawing applause.
“What the Defense Department is doing is outside the law. They are breaking, violating the law by funding abortion tourism with tax dollars. And so when agencies do that the congress has to stand up and push back against it.”
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DeSantis criticized the DOD for its poor priorities, calling out the massive hole in military recruiting and the limited funds able to be allocated to the defense budget. The Florida Governor called on Republicans to fight against the department’s abortion policy.
“We have a limited amount of money in a defense budget. We’re running low on ammunition. Our recruiting is in the absolute gutter now and you’re funding abortion tourism? Is that really something that is helping to protect this country? So we need to fight back against it,”
DeSantis, who is running for President, vowed that he would scrap “abortion tourism” in the military on day one if elected to the White House.
“I can tell you when I’m president, on day one, that policy goes into the trash can where it belongs.”
In February, the Pentagon stated that it was implementing policies to “ensure access to non-covered reproductive health care,” in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The measures include providing leaves of absence so service members can receive an abortion and paying a “travel allowance” to travel to a state where abortion is legal.
“These policies reinforce the Secretary of Defense’s commitment to taking care of our people,” a DOD statement said.
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The measures officially took effect in March. In July, national security spokesman John Kirby defended the policy,
“What happens if you get assigned to a state like Alabama which has a pretty restrictive abortion law in place? And you’re concerned about your reproductive care? What do you do? Do you say no and you get out?”
That same month, DeSantis sat down with radio host Hugh Hewitt and condemned the policy.
“What the military’s policy is, is not following U.S. law. They are using tax dollars. They are funding abortion tourism, which is not an appropriate thing for the military to be doing. So I think our Republicans in the Congress should just take a stand on this. The DOD should stand down,” DeSantis said.
“So that’ll be an easy thing for me, day one as commander-in-chief. That policy will go out the window, and we’re going to focus on mission accomplishment again.”
Florida currently limits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. In April, DeSantis signed a bill to further limit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
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