March 29, 2024

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Pentagon ends blocking of abortion-related sites on computer networks

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The Pentagon has quietly lifted a longstanding ban that prevented troops and civilians from looking for abortion-associated conditions on the department’s computer networks, a move that follows the Supreme Court’s landmark choice to overturn Roe v. Wade previous month.

The division experienced banned abortion-associated content material, as perfectly as other matters, beneath a policy dating to 2010, “to maximize obtainable bandwidth for mission purposes,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman said in an e-mail Tuesday to Navy Instances.

This sort of a sea adjust to what the department’s far more than 3 million people can obtain on their personal computers came right after POLITICO claimed on Might 3 that the courtroom was slated to overturn Roe, but just before the feeling was produced on June 24.

“We identified in early June that we should really certainly allow for information categorized as abortion (to be obtainable on DOD networks) centered on the healthcare elements connected to the classification,” Gorman said. He added that the section continuously evaluates articles classes that are blocked on department networks.

Navy Times started inquiring about the plan final month immediately after a navy officer reported he had tried to entry the non-revenue Prepared Parenthood and NARAL Professional-Selection The us web pages on his govt laptop to get data for his troops and obtained a blocked notification.

Gorman did not present responses to adhere to-up queries.

The department’s chief facts officer, John Sherman, “directed that content material associated to accessibility to abortion products and services be unblocked and this improve is now underway across DOD corporations,” Gorman added. “Additionally, DoD CIO is reviewing the complete coverage regrading world-wide-web obtain to various web-sites and subjects relevant to health care accessibility and other problems for suitable updates.”

Officers did not reply to requests for remark about the date of the plan transform or other banned categories.

The officer who asked for anonymity told Army Periods he was blocked from accessing Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Decision The us sites as he sought facts for his troops regarding bans on abortions immediately after 6 weeks.

“I guess deployed (troops) or people with out entry to particular world-wide-web are not in a position to be educated,” he explained.

The officer said he was “stunned” when the internet sites arrived up blocked, and that his troops have concerns about what the overturning of Roe v. Wade will indicate, “especially all those who have been previously stationed in Mississippi.”

Mississippi lawmakers passed a regulation banning most abortions and the state is property to at the very least six armed forces bases.

The officer and other navy sources who Googled “abortion” on their operate computer systems for Navy Times noted last 7 days that some web-sites were not blocked. On the other hand, the officer mentioned that not getting ready to accessibility Prepared Parenthood or NARAL Pro-Alternative The usa gave him pause.

“All the DoD officers said they ended up heading to do all they can to make certain we had the info we necessary with the new ruling and laws,” the officer stated.

Gorman reported in a observe-up assertion to Armed forces Periods that the section is performing its way “through all DOD networks now to ensure that restriction is lifted uniformly.”

As the Pentagon seeks to protects its uniformed and civilian workforce from prosecution subsequent the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the officer mentioned he is hearing concerns from his troops nonetheless.

“They may possibly be stationed in these states that don’t let abortions, and that they will have to inquire COs for authorization, pay for journey, choose their constrained leave, and be judged all over the command,” the officer said. “And then even from adult males who are fearful for their daughters and wives getting pressured to move with them to locations like Texas.”

A friend’s spouse, the officer stated, “is terrified” of having stationed wherever she will not have accessibility to services, this kind of as Prepared Parenthood.

DOD’s lifting of abortion queries on its networks will come as the Pentagon scrambles to parse out what the overturning of Roe indicates for troops and family members.

And while the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Wellness Organization that overturned the Roe precedent doesn’t modify just about anything with regards to legalities of obtaining an abortion protected by armed forces health insurance plan, it does raise inquiries about their availability and the added energy that securing authorized abortions might entail.

“I am dedicated to having treatment of our people today and making certain the readiness and resilience of our force,” Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a assertion on June 24, the day Roe was overturned. “The Division is inspecting this final decision carefully and analyzing our policies to ensure we proceed to present seamless obtain to reproductive wellbeing treatment as permitted by federal regulation.”

Geoff is a senior staff members reporter for Military Instances, concentrating on the Navy. He lined Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was most recently a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all sorts of strategies at [email protected].

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