A single line in the Senate’s 1,166-page proposed defense policy bill could derail the Pentagon’s plan to give troops the option of freezing their sperm or eggs for future use.
Slipped into the bill financials of the Senate’s draft National Defense Authorization bill is a $38 million reduction of the Defense Health Agency budget “for unauthorized fertility treatment benefits.”
According to the report that explains each section of the legislation, the reduction “reflects costs avoided by the Department of Defense relative to its plan to conduct a pilot program to cryopreserve oocytes and sperm.”
It is unclear whether pulling the funding would nix the program, set to go into effect Oct. 1. The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for information.
But Sen. Patty Murray, whose office noticed the provision, hopes to prevent that from happening.
On Wednesday, the Washington Democrat began an effort to remove the language from the bill, drafting an amendment that would halt the reduction, staff members said.
“When we ask our men and women to risk their lives and their well-being on behalf of our country, I believe we have a responsibility to care for them. This pilot program is a good step toward helping those who have sacrificed so much realize their dream of having a family,” Murray told Military Times.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the program in January, part of his “Force of the Future” initiatives designed to overhaul the military personnel system and improve recruiting and retention.
The benefit is designed to give troops who may be at risk for injuries that can cause infertility a safety net, as well as provide service members flexibility to decide when to have children.
Since 2001, more than 1,800 troops have received wounds in combat or training accidents that have rendered them incapable of having children without medical assistance.
Murray has been pushing for a new law that would require the Veterans Affairs Department to pay for fertility treatments for those with service-connected infertility.
Patricia Kime covers military and veterans health care and medicine for Military Times. She can be reached at pkime@militarytimes.com
