Video of remarks made by U.S. Admiral John Kirby (ret.) on why the Pentagon’s new policy of helping to ensure women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces who want or need an abortion can have access to one is going viral. In the clip he reveals bans on abortion are having a negative effect on morale and retention in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Adm. Kirby, who retired from the U.S. Navy as a rear admiral, is the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House. He also served as the press secretary for the Dept. of Defense earlier in the Biden administration, and as the State Dept. spokesperson during the Obama administration.
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) back in February set up a blockade that is now stopping over 250 U.S. Military promotions. He is blocking them in response to the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing women service members for travel expenses should they need to travel to get an abortion. That policy was put in place in response to Republican-led states that have enacted bans on abortion.
Sen. Tuberville’s actions have already led to the U.S. Marines now having no Commandant, and if they continue, will affect top-ranking officials at the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Additionally, Tuberville has been condemned for remarks supporting white nationalism.
On Monday a reporter asked Kirby, “Why is the new DoD policy on abortion critical to military readiness?”
“I’m really glad you asked that question. No, I mean, I really am,” Kirby responds in the video that has been viewed over 700,000 times in just two hours.
“One in five members of the U.S. Military are women. 20%. We’re an all-volunteer force. Nobody’s forcing you to sign up and go. People volunteer to go. You raise your right hand you say, I’m gonna, I’m going to do this for a few years or even for my life, and it might cost me my life to do it,” Kirby said.
“And when you sign up and you make that contract, you have every right to expect that the organization, in this case the military, is going to take care of you, and they’re going to take care of your families. And they’re going to make sure that you can serve with dignity and respect, no matter who you are, or who you love. Or, or how you worship or don’t.”
“And,” he continued, “our policies, whether they’re diversity, inclusion and equity, or whether they’re about transgender individuals who qualify physically and mentally, deserve to be able to do it with dignity, or whether it’s about female service members – one in five – or female family members being able to count on the kinds of health care and reproductive care specifically that they need to serve.”
“That is a foundational, sacred obligation of military leaders across the river. I’ve seen it myself, and it matters, because it says we’re invested in you because you are being willing to invest in us. You’re investing your life, your family’s livelihood with us. We owe you that back in return.”
“I had a chance a couple of weeks ago to meet with some military spouses here at the White House. Some were active duty members, some were spouses, all were women, and, [two-to one, he appeared to say] they told me that abortion laws in this country that are now being passed, are absolutely having an effect on their willingness to continue serving in uniform or to encourage or discourage, in this case, their spouses from continuing service.”
“So if you don’t think there’s going to be a retention and morale issue, think again, because it’s already having that effect.”
Watch below or at this link.