The Department of Defense will now stock emergency contraception! As a New York Times editorial states, the decision "marked welcome, if overdue, progress in meeting the needs of women serving the United States in the military." This decision came after the Pentagon's Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee voted in November 2009 to include EC on the list of mandatory drugs for military facilities. The panel had previously issued similar recommendations in 2002 but the Bush administration chose to ignore them.
The New York Times article goes on to state that "Next, Pentagon officials and members of Congress need to address the callous treatment of servicewomen with regard to abortion," noting that military facilities currently can offer abortion only in cases of inces, rape or danger to the woman's life. "And even in cases of rape and incest, the women must pay for the procedure...It is outrageous that politics is allowed to interfere with the health care decision of women who wear the nation's uniform." (New York Times, 2/15/10)
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