US Troops Are Volunteering to Fly Abortion Seekers Across State Lines
Using personal planes, off duty, and out of uniform, the pilots say it’s their ”patriotic duty” to help Americans.
JACQUELINE FELDSCHER | SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 04:37 PM ET
PERSONNEL AIR FORCE NATIONAL GUARD PENTAGON
U.S. troops are volunteering to fly people seeking an abortion from states that have banned the procedure to states where they can receive care, arguing that they donned a uniform to fight for freedom—including “freedom of choice.”
Elevated Access is a nonprofit founded in April that connects volunteer pilots with people needing an abortion who live in the more-than-a-dozen states where the procedure is banned. Those pilots use their own private planes, donating their time, fuel, and maintenance costs, said Fiona, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit who declined to use her last name to protect her privacy.
More than 800 pilots have volunteered to fly for Elevated Access, Fiona said. The group does not know how many of those have current and former ties to the military because the application does not ask about their military background. But, some pilots have voluntarily shared their military backgrounds or sent photos of themselves in a military uniform.
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2022/09/us-troops-are-volunteering-fly-abortion-seekers-across-state-lines/377604/
