White House: Pentagon's abortion travel policy is part of 'sacred obligation'

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby issued a full-throated defense of the military’s abortion travel policy on Monday, in the face of Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions in protest of that policy. Thanks to Tuberville, the position of Marine commandant is vacant for the first time since the Civil War—just one of more than 270 military promotions Tuberville is blocking.

Tuberville is the one who needs to answer to that, but Kirby was asked to defend the abortion travel policy’s importance to military readiness, and he was, he said, “really glad” to have the opportunity. Kirby described the “foundational sacred obligation” of military leaders to ensure that service members and their families can “count on the kinds of health care and reproductive care specifically that they need to serve.” And, he said, it becomes a military readiness issue if women in the military, or the wives of service members, are not willing to continue their service because they won’t be able to get that care.