At a press conference on Capitol Hill, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand demonstrated bipartisan support for her proposal to remove the reporting and prosecution of sexual assault complaints in the military from the chain of command.
Having already asked lawmakers to take away commanders’ authority to overturn sexual assault convictions, Reid is now considering a measure that would entirely remove sexual assault cases from the chain of command.
As a former civilian social worker for the Air Force, I cannot help but weigh in on the national debate about how to reform the Department of Defense’s sexual assault policies.
Part of the blame for the reluctance to report sexual crimes in the military rests with an unsympathetic military chaplaincy, one of the few places soldiers, sailors, reservists, national guardians, and marines can turn for counseling.
Servicewomen rely on the military for their health care, but under current policy they are left to fend for themselves if they become pregnant after being raped.
U.S. servicewomen put their lives on the line for us every day. We owe it to them to fight for their dignity and respect their choices.
