Travel Time and Costs for Abortion for Military Service Members After the Dobbs Decision.

This study quantifies the change in travel times for military service personnel to abortion facilities following the US Supreme Court Dobbs decision and estimates the cost of an abortion-related travel reimbursement policy.

The legislation, search, recovery, identification and repatriation of conflict casualties worldwide: Introducing the WWI and WWII Special Issue.

Conflict casualties refer to those individuals who are lost due to military conflict or war. The involvement of forensic archaeologists and anthropologists in the legal search, recovery, documentation, identification, and repatriation/reburial of conflict casualties is well known. Internationally, there are a number of professional organisations who ethically recover and identify these individuals. However, at the same time, some organisations and individuals have raised significant concerns about working in other countries, understanding specific laws and protocols, and how the whole recovery and identification process should be undertaken. Through this special issue, Forensic Science International is interested in promoting these investigative good-practice procedures, illustrated with case studies, and ethical and legal considerations when undertaking and disseminating these humanitarian missions to the wider forensic community. This Special Issue focuses primarily on the First and Second World Wars, yet other conflicts are covered, and includes the views and perspectives from different organisations within specific countries in the format of original papers, commentaries, and case reports. Specifically, these papers include the legislative regulations, information regarding the authorities to be consulted on and who deal with human remains, the organisations and professionals who are involved with the recovery and analysis of human remains, the process of identification, and how this information is disseminated to the public.

Military transgender care.

Transgender individuals have a long-standing history of honorable service in the United States Military. However, politics have had an impact on their ability to openly serve in uniform as policies continually change rapidly with each new administration. This article describes the shifting political landscape of policies related to whether (or not) transgender individuals can serve in the military, and how this has affected the health care experiences of transgender individuals and the ability for nurse practitioners to provide quality health care to the transgender population serving on active duty.

Panel Bias During Sexual Assault Courts-Martial.

This article examines criticism from the scholarly community and findings from the military's Judicial Proceedings Panel that training in the U.S. Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program biases panel members during courts-martial. The topic is examined from the perspective of psychological science. Studies on jury bias, stereotypes, decision-making dynamics, and behavioral conditioning are applied to the question of whether sexual assault prevention training can bias panel members. Analysis of the subject suggests that servicemembers are subjected to a range of bias-inducing mechanisms that arise within the military context. This article concludes that expert witnesses in behavioral science should be called during courts-martial to explain how judgements may be influenced by institutional training. Reinforcing the integrity of the military justice system has implications for protecting individual liberties.

Protecting Moral Integrity Through Justified Exemption.

Medical professionals have a duty to prioritize patient needs and well-being, even when doing so is deemed distasteful or unpleasant. This does not mean, however, that such professionals are obliged to provide medical interventions when participation threatens their core moral integrity. Myriad state and federal "conscience clause" statutes and regulations have codified such protections, but in a way that makes it too easy to claim exemption. This essay argues that, given professional obligations and systemic power asymmetries, the burden of proof falls upon professionals to show that participation in the requested service represents a genuine threat to their integrity, as opposed to being merely offensive or economically disadvantageous. It concludes with a suggested mechanism for determining whether the exemption request is justified.

Gun prevalence and suicide.

In light of the ongoing debate over tighter firearm regulations, this paper considers the relationship between gun prevalence and suicide. I exploit a reform in Switzerland that reduced the prevalence of military-issued guns in private households. In Switzerland, military service is compulsory for men, and military-issued guns account for nearly half of the total number of firearms available. The results show that the firearm suicide rate decreases by 9% for a reduction in gun prevalence of 1000 guns per 100,000 inhabitants. The elasticity of gun suicides with respect to firearm prevalence is +0.48, but converges towards zero for low levels of gun prevalence. The overall suicide rate is negatively and significantly related to firearm prevalence, which indicates that non-gun methods of suicide are not perfect replacements for firearms.

Reproductive function: the protection of the rights of the people which are sent to the area of the fighting.

OBJECTIVE: Introduction: The issues of problems of the legal regulation of posthumous reproduction in Ukraine and foreign countries are analysis in the article. The author substantiates the necessity in the creation and acceptance of the State Program of the retrieval of reproductive cells in people who are sending to the area of the fighting. The aim:the purpose of our work is a comprehensive study of post-mortem (post-mortem) reproduction and substantiation of the possibility and necessity of adopting a state program for the selection of reproductive cells of individuals who are sent to a combat zone to ensure their full social protection and assistance in the realization of the right to fatherhood or motherhood. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: the experience of certain countries is analyzed in the research. Additionally, we used statistical data of international organizations, conclusions of experts and foreign legal acts dealing with posthumous reproduction and auxiliary reproductive technologies, judicial practice, doctrinal ideas and views on this issue. RESULTS: Review: there are medical (practical) preconditions for the introduction of posthumous reproduction programs. Among them is the technology of obtaining reproductive cells (post-mortem too), their preservation and successful subsequent use. In addition, foreign experience shows the success of the application of these technologies and the real guarantee of full implementation of the range of rights to the family, fatherhood or maternity. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: we note the urgent need to develop and adopt a state reproductive cell selection program for individuals who are sent to the combat zones (according to a model that exists in such countries as the USA and Israel).

Exclusion of Medically Necessary Gender-Affirming Surgery for America's Armed Services Veterans.

Gender dysphoria, the term used in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM) to describe distress at the incongruence between one's gender and anatomy, affects approximately 0.6 percent of the population. It is estimated that there are 134,000 Armed Forces veterans in the United States with gender dysphoria. Although gender-affirming surgery is widely accepted as a medically necessary intervention for appropriately selected patients with gender dysphoria, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Health Benefits package and VHA Directive 2013-033 specifically prohibit gender-affirming surgery within Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities or using VA funding. This policy, which has been legally challenged after being reaffirmed in January 2017, denies medically necessary care to veterans, causing harm to individual patients and reinforcing discrimination and prejudicial treatment of a minority population. We argue that the policy is indefensible as it violates the basic ethical principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.

How Ending Impunity for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Overwhelmed the UN Women, Peace, and Security Agenda: A Discursive Genealogy.

The recent unprecedented focus on ending impunity for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is positive in many respects. However, it has narrowed the scope of Security Council Resolution 1325 and the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda it established in 2000. Through a critical discursive genealogy of the interrelation of two UN agendas-protection of civilians in armed conflict and women, peace, and security-the author traces how CRSV emerged as the defining issue of the latter while the transformative imperative of making women's participation central to every UN endeavor for peace and security has failed to gain traction.

Biomedical Enhancement of Warfighters and the Legal Protection of Military Medical Personnel in Armed Conflict.

Under international law, military medical personnel and facilities must be respected and protected in the event of an armed conflict. This special status only applies to personnel and facilities exclusively engaged in certain enumerated medical duties, especially the treatment of the wounded and sick, and the prevention of disease. Military medical personnel have, however, been called upon to engage in the biomedical enhancement of warfighters, as exemplified by the supply of central nervous system stimulants as a fatigue countermeasure. This article argues that international law of armed conflict does not recognise human enhancement as a medical duty, and that engaging in enhancement that is harmful to the enemy results in the loss of special protection normally enjoyed by military medical personnel and units.

Payment or Reimbursement for Certain Medical Expenses for Camp Lejeune Family Members. Final rule.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adopts as final an interim final rule addressing payment or reimbursement of certain medical expenses for family members of Camp Lejeune veterans. Under this rule, VA reimburses family members, or pays providers, for medical expenses incurred as a result of certain illnesses and conditions that may be associated with contaminants present in the base water supply at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune (Camp Lejeune), North Carolina, from August 1, 1953, to December 31, 1987. Payment or reimbursement is made within the limitations set forth in statute and Camp Lejeune family members receive hospital care and medical services that are consistent with the manner in which we provide hospital care and medical services to Camp Lejeune veterans. The statutory authority has since been amended to also include certain veterans' family members who resided at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for no less than 30 days (consecutive or nonconsecutive) between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. This final rule will reflect that statutory change and will address public comments received in response to the interim final rule.

Contribución de la mujer en misiones internacionales de las Fuerzas Armadas / Contribution of women on Armed Forces’ international missions

ANTECEDENTES: Hasta hace apenas una década, las mujeres han estado generalmente excluidas para participar en la guerra como sujetos activos. Después de la Resolución 1325 del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas (UN) de Octubre del 2000, se ha generalizado su incorporación a los ejércitos en procesos de paz y reconstrucción posconflicto; siendo el principal objetivo del Plan de Acción del Gobierno de España aprobado en 2007 «Potenciar la participación de mujeres en misiones y órganos de toma de decisiones». OBJETIVO: Determinar el nivel de cumplimiento con respecto a la participación de las mujeres del ejército español en procesos de paz y reconstrucción posconflicto. MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: DISEÑO: se trata de un estudio observacional descriptivo longitudinal retrospectivo. Ámbito: Fuerzas Armadas Españolas, durante el periodo comprendido entre enero de 1993 y diciembre de 2015. Población: Mujeres que han ingresado en las Fuerzas Armadas Españolas durante el periodo de estudio y que han participado en misiones internacionales. RESULTADOS: durante el periodo de estudio se observó un incremento de mujeres en los diferentes ejércitos que participaron en misiones internacionales, siendo el año 2014 el de máxima participación con un 12,5% de mujeres. CONCLUSIONES: Se observó un incremento en la proporción de mujeres participantes en misiones internacionales (FAS), así como su acceso a los cargos de mayor responsabilidad

BACKGROUND: Until just a decade, women have been largely excluded from participating in war as active subjects. After the 1325 Resolution of the UN Security Council in October 2000, incorporation of women to armies in peace-keeping missions and post-conflict reconstruction has been generalized, being the main objective of the «Action Plan of Government of Spain» approved in 2007 to «Enhance Women's Participation in Missions and Decision-Making Bodies». OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of compliance in relation to the participation of women in the Spanish army in peace-keeping processes and post-conflict reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DESIGN: It is an observational, retrospective, descriptive and longitudinal study. Ambit: Spanish army, during the period between January 1993 and December 2015. Population: women who have joined the Spanish army during the studied period and have participated in international tours of duty. RESULTS: During the studied period, an increase of women in the different armies that participated in international missions has been observed, being 2014 the year with maximum participation of women, 12.5%. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in the proportion of women participating in international missions (FAS), as well as their access to positions of greater responsibility has been observed

Agents of the Father's law in a society of brothers: A philosophic and psychoanalytic perspective on legitimate use of violence.

This paper explores subjective processes of "Agents of Law" - individuals who the state grants the authority to use violence - and the dissonance stemming from the contradictory demands posed on them as legitimate users of violence despite the societal taboo against violence. A conceptual model will be offered based on two theoretical legs, Lacanian psychoanalysis and political theories of legitimacy. Specifically, psychoanalytic ideas would serve to examine unconscious processes, subject position and various identifications related to the question of "self-legitimacy" of Agents of Law. A central link between psychoanalysis and political thought is found in the image of the father and in the triad ruler-God-Father, which calls for an oedipal analysis. A psychoanalytic reading of two philosophical schools that elaborated on the question of legitimacy will be presented, and yield two analytic poles of a model for the understanding of possible subject positions of agents of Law: identification with a "Living Father" vs. identification with a "Dead Father". The psychoanalytic reading will shed light on the limitations of the philosophical perspectives in reflecting on the various (im)possible psychological positions of agents of Law. Finally, then, it will be shown how psychoanalysis helps finding words to characterize different nuances in the coping of agents of Law with the contradictory demands posed on them in an age in which God is dead, the father was murdered and the king was beheaded.

Diseases Associated With Exposure to Contaminants in the Water Supply at Camp Lejeune. Final rule.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amends its adjudication regulations regarding presumptive service connection, adding certain diseases associated with contaminants present in the base water supply at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune (Camp Lejeune), North Carolina, from August 1, 1953, to December 31, 1987. This final rule establishes that veterans, former reservists, and former National Guard members, who served at Camp Lejeune for no less than 30 days (consecutive or nonconsecutive) during this period, and who have been diagnosed with any of eight associated diseases, are presumed to have incurred or aggravated the disease in service for purposes of entitlement to VA benefits. In addition, this final rule establishes a presumption that these individuals were disabled during the relevant period of service for purposes of establishing active military service for benefits purposes. Under this presumption, affected former reservists and National Guard members have veteran status for purposes of entitlement to some VA benefits. This amendment implements a decision by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs that service connection on a presumptive basis is warranted for claimants who served at Camp Lejeune during the relevant period and for the requisite amount of time and later develop certain diseases.