At the beginning of this year, a long political battle to expand reproductive access for women serving in the military successfully ensured that female servicemembers will have the same abortion coverage that civilian employees of the federal government already do. But that victory didn’t apply to another sector of Americans serving abroad: Peace Corps volunteers working across the globe.

That’s why Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) is currently working to expand abortion access to rape victims serving in the Peace Corps. On Wednesday, the lawmaker introduced a bill to offer Peace Corps volunteers the same type of reproductive health coverage that is offered to other women who get federal health benefits. “It is unacceptable that their own country restricts their access to care,” Lautenberg said in a statement this week.

Under the current policy, if a Peace Corps volunteer has been raped and wants to terminate a pregnancy resulting from that sexual assault, she will be forced to pay for the entire cost of that abortion procedure herself because the federal government won’t cover it. That’s a sharp departure from the national standard. Although the Hyde Amendment prohibits the federal government from providing insurance coverage for elective abortions, it does contain a narrow exemption for rape, incest, and cases to preserve the life of the woman. Thirty two states and the District of Columbia also offer this type of exception in their bans on public funding for abortion.

Lautenberg’s bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who spearheaded the recent effort to remove the same abortion restrictions for women in the military who have been victims of rape or incest. Women’s health advocates were encouraged that Shaheen’s legislation was successful, and they’re hoping that a similar push on behalf of Peace Corps volunteers will see the same results. “Just as Congress took historic action last year to ensure women in the U.S. military have basic reproductive health care coverage in cases of rape or incest, members of the House and Senate must support and pass this bill swiftly to protect the fundamental human rights of women serving our country in the Peace Corps,” Nancy Northrup, the president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement.

Fortunately, there is national momentum on this issue as well. The budget proposal that President Obama put forth earlier this month includes a provision that would eliminate the current abortion ban in the Peace Corps, bringing volunteers’ health coverage in line with the standards for other federal employees. That would also bring the Peace Corps’ policy in line with public opinion. Americans overwhelmingly support abortion access for victims of rape and incest.

Retired General Colin Powell, who served as the Secretary of State under former President George W. Bush, has joined dozens of other military leaders to call on Congress to improve abortion access for military women, particularly women who have become pregnant from rape.

Currently, the Defense Department only offers abortion services to military women when their lives are in danger, and doesn’t offer any narrow exemptions even in the cases of rape or incest — despite the fact that non-military federal employees, as well as women who are covered under federal programs like Medicaid or Medicare, have coverage for the abortion services they need in those cases. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-NH) proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act — which has already passed the Senate — would correct this discrepancy by allowing the military to fund abortions for survivors of rape and incest.

In a letter to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Powell and the other military leaders came out in support of Shaheen’s amendment, pointing out that military women deserve the same access to reproductive services as federal civilian employees already have:

It has been our privilege to lead and serve alongside the brave men and women of our armed forces and we believe that they deserve the best medical care that our country can provide. We were therefore greatly disappointed to learn that, by federal statute, the Department of Defense is barred from providing insurance coverage for abortion except where a pregnant woman’s life is endangered. Unlike other current federal restrictions on abortion coverage, the military ban provides no exception for cases of rape and incest. The current policy is unfair and must be changed.

Restoring abortion coverage to our servicewomen and military family members who are survivors of rape and incest would bring the Department of Defense in line with the policy that governs other federal programs, such as Medicaid or the Federal Employee Health Benefit program. At the very least, our military women deserve the same access to care as civilian women who rely on the federal government for their health care. Our servicewomen commit their lives to defending our freedoms; Congress should respect their service and sacrifice and provide them with the same level of health care coverage it provides civilians.

Studies have shown that rates of unintended pregnancy tend to be higher among military women because their contraception use is often lower, underscoring the military’s responsibility to better address women’s full range of reproductive needs. An estimated 200,000 military women serving in active duty would gain expanded abortion access if Shaheen’s amendment is passed.

Since the House has already passed a version of the National Defense Authorization Act that does not include Shaheen’s amendment, the two chambers must work out a final version of the bill in committee. But Powell’s fellow Republicans may still represent a road block. Anti-choice legislators blocked a similar amendment that Shaheen introduced last year.

During a press conference Thursday, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and two high ranking retired military officers said that giving women in the military the same access to health care that civilians, federal employees, and female inmates have is a matter of equity and fairness. Right now, the Department of Defense is prohibited by law from including coverage for abortions in the case of rape or incest in military insurance plans, denying members of the military affordable access to healthcare in a time of need.

Under an exception to the Hyde Amendment, which limits the use of federal money to fund abortions, civilians enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare, or the Indian Health Services and non-military federal employees all have access to an affordable abortion in the case of rape or incest, or if the life of the woman is in danger. Even inmates in correctional facilities enjoy the same access to an affordable abortion (except in the case of incest). Military members only have access to an affordable abortion if the life of the woman is in danger.

Retired Army Major General Gale Pollock and Retired Army General Dennis Laich, representing the Stand with Servicewomen coalition, joined Sen. Shaheen in support of giving service members the same rights to affordable health services as the civilians they protect.

Pollock: It makes me incredibly angry to know that our servicewomen and military wives and daughters, who all serve and sacrifice for their country, lack the same coverage civilian women have in the wake of sexual assualt. While we appropriately show federal employees, women in prison, and women enrolled in Medicaid compassion if they become pregnant as a result of rape, Congress has said to our servicewomen, ‘You’re on your own.’ This is wrong.

Laich: Women compose almost 15% of our military today, serving with courage and distinction in every branch of service. Lifting this ban is not only a matter of basic fairness, it’s also a matter of ensuring military readiness. As more and more service members learn of this unjust ban, the morale of our troops will suffer, adversely affecting recruiting and retention….The health and wellbeing of our military depends on our willingness to care for service members no matter the circumstances.

Sen. Shaheen sponsered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to allow the military to fund abortion in the case of rape or incest that was approved by the Senate Armed Forces Committee 16-10, including the votes of three Republicans. The NDAA awaits action on the Senate floor.

–Alex Brown

The Senate Armed Services committee approved an amendment on Thursday to eliminate restrictions on abortion funding in military medical facilities. The provision would allow the military to fund abortion care in cases of rape and incest. Currently, the Defense Department only offers abortion services to military women when their lives are in danger with no exemptions for cases of rape or incest.

Supporters of the amendment, sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), said removing the restriction is a matter of fairness for military women:

Supporters argue that it would simply provide parity between civilians insured by the government and uniformed service members. [...]

“This is about equity,” Shaheen said. “Civilian women who depend on the federal government for health insurance — whether they are postal workers or Medicaid recipients — have the right to access affordable abortion care if they are sexually assaulted. It is only fair that the thousands of brave women in uniform fighting to protect our freedoms are treated the same.”

Shaheen’s provision would mirror the Hyde Amendment, which allows Medicaid funding for abortions in cases of rape and incest, so women with military-provided insurance plans would have the same health care options as civilian women with government health care plans.

And because nearly one in three women will be sexually assaulted while serving in the military, Shaheen’s amendment expands access to necessary services so that women do not have to pay out of pocket if they seek abortion care after being rape.

Now that the committee has approved the measure — with three Republicans voting for it — it heads to the Senate floor. When Shaheen introduced this amendment last year, anti-choice senators blocked it from being considered.