CONTENT WARNING (sexual assault): ABORTION: When I was 21, I was drugged and raped violently in the military. When I tried to report it, I was told I’d be dishonorably discharged for filing a false report and court martialed for adultery because my rapist was married 1/
Despite trying to take multiple birth control pills as a makeshift Plan B (which wasn’t available then), I found out I was pregnant. I was able to get access to abortion care at @PPFA along with a counseling referral since I couldn’t talk to anyone in the military 2/
Access to that care saved my life. Rape in the military is prevalent and TO THIS DAY they still haven’t taken the decision to prosecute assault out of the chain of command, leading to situations like mine where it’s unsafe to report the rape. 3/
Active duty service members don’t exactly get to choose what state they live in, and without abortion care, I would have been forced by the government to give birth to my rapist’s baby and raise it while trying to cope with PTSD. 4/
Active duty service members also don’t have the freedom to simply travel to other states without a leave chit approved up the chain of command. The same chain of command that gets to decide whether or not to prosecute rape. 5/
I hope @SecDef & @POTUS will support leave for abortion care, & that @SenSchumer will bring the bill by @SenGillibrand & @SenJoniErnst that takes the decision to prosecute out of the chain of command to the floor for a vote. It has 66 co-sponsors in the senate. END #RoeVsWade
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
