House refuses to remove ban on abortions in overseas military hospitals

On June 15 (1995), the House voted 300-126 to adopt the Department of Defense (DOD) authorization bill (HR 1530), which approves $267 billion for fiscal year 1996. During debate, members rejected an amendment to maintain the current policy allowing privately funded abortions at overseas military hospitals. Offered by pro-choice Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the amendment was defeated 196-230; the National Security Committee had rejected an identical proposal in a 20-32 vote on May 24. The final bill revises the existing statutory ban on the use of agency funds to "perform abortions except where the life of the mother would be endangered" by explicitly expanding it to encompass "medical treatment facilities or other facilities of the [DOD]." In previous years, the prohibition on non-life-saving abortions at overseas military hospitals was implemented through a 1988 agency memo interpreting the funding ban to extend to military facilities outside of the continental US. In January 1993, President Clinton reversed that interpretation.