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Photo by 2nd Lt. Benjamin Aronson/U.S. Air Force

What Overturning Roe Might Mean for Women in the Military

Last week's seismic Supreme Court decision revoked the constitutional right to an abortion, allowing states to prohibit the procedure. Abortion bans have already taken effect in at least seven states.

Writing before the ruling, RAND's Kyleanne Hunter considered how restrictions could affect women in the U.S. military and how the Pentagon might respond.

To start, women stationed in states that have already banned abortion or are poised to do so will face sharp reductions in their health care options, she says. Of course, this is also true for civilian women, but restrictions may have an outsized effect on those in the military. Evidence suggests that women who serve are more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy, miscarriage, or ectopic pregnancy than their civilian counterparts. They are also more likely to experience sexual assault and intimate-partner violence—factors that increase the risk of unintended pregnancy.

Losing access to safe and legal abortions may also exacerbate the negative experiences often recounted by women in the military, Hunter says. The need to travel out of state for an abortion could increase service women's fear of the negative stigma associated with pregnancy and intensify privacy concerns. Abiding by new policies related to abortion may also reinforce harmful gender stereotypes in the ranks. And misinformation about Pentagon policies could create false impressions about health care options that are available to women in the military.

Overall, the repeal may add more stress and barriers to what is already a difficult process. “The Defense Department will need to respond to ensure that women have access to the full range of health care,” Hunter says. “How that response is communicated is crucial, leaving no room for misinterpretation that could heighten existing stereotypes and tensions.”