The White House has failed to protect the feds’ access to abortion, the group says

An advocacy group representing 1,300 US Justice Department employees said the Biden administration failed to protect abortion rights for civil service members who could request it through government-sponsored health plans, according to a letter. obtained by the Federal Times.

The group, DOJ Gender Equality Network, has urged multiple changes since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, including covering travel expenses for employees seeking abortion treatment, as the Pentagon has moved to do, and ensuring that background checks do not penalize those who have undergone the procedure.

DOJ GEN wrote the letter Thursday to the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget, and the offices of the president and vice president, saying these recommendations were met with silence. This comes as the Biden administration issued an executive order Friday requiring federal employees, veterans and service members to have access to affordable contraception as part of a larger effort to preserve reproductive health care.

DOJ GEN is frustrated that the administration has failed to protect federal civilian employees’ access to abortion since Roe v. Wade it was overturned, Jen Swedish, a board member of DOJ GEN and leader of its Abortion Access working group, said in a statement. Over the past year, many private companies and the Department of Defense have stepped up to help their employees navigate this health crisis, but federal officials have lagged behind.

There has been a broader push by employees and health groups to expand assistance to reproductive health issues, not just abortion. For years, infertility benefits were limited under the Federal Employee Health Benefits program, and employees said it made them consider employment elsewhere.

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The federal government’s ability to recruit and retain talented employees will suffer if it fails to offer assistance to government employees living in states where access to abortion is unavailable, a reality the Defense Department acknowledges, the letter said.

DOJ GEN offers three consecutive days of administrative leave for employees who need to travel for abortion care and ensure that there is permanent leave in case an employee needs it.

OPM’s policy states that an agency must allow an employee to take sick leave that may involve long-distance travel, and that early leave may be granted if not enough is accrued. That guide is not specific to abortions; covers all medical needs.

DOJ GEN also says that because the Justice Department’s Counsel has already determined that the Department of Defense can pay for abortion-related travel for service members and dependents without violating statutory restrictions, they should as well civilian agencies.

However, that provision for the military has not gone unchallenged; Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said he will not allow pending military appointments to go through as long as the abortion policy remains in place, reported the Military Times. Other critics say the policy goes against long-standing laws that limit any use of public money for abortion.

Republican versions of the 2024 budget so far include incumbent politicians banning abortion coverage in federal programs.

In an executive order last year establishing a decision-making body within government to address these issues, the Biden administration vowed to do everything in its power to uphold reproductive rights and protect access to abortion. safe and legal.

Neither OPM nor OMB immediately responded to requests for comment.

The Justice Department’s Reproductive Rights Task Force also continues to monitor instances in which federal employees who provide legal reproductive health services may be targeted for criminal or civil prosecution, the White House said June 23.