Two U.S. senators from opposite sides of the aisle are teaming up to tackle a devastating trend in the military community: a suicide rate that sits 50% higher than that of civilians. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced the “Improving Personal Risk Assessments to Prevent Suicide Act.”
The Bill’s Focus
The bill focuses directly on how military sexual trauma (MST)—defined as sexual assault or threatening harassment experienced during service—and intimate partner violence drive suicide risks among active service members and veterans.
Right now, many survivors of military sexual trauma keep the abuse to themselves, often fearing retaliation or career damage from their superiors while on active duty. Because the connection between military sexual trauma and suicide is already well-recognized, lawmakers say this bill is a crucial missing piece in the country’s broader veteran suicide prevention strategy.
If passed, the law will force the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense to collaborate. Within 18 months, they must publish a comprehensive study on how these specific traumas elevate suicide risks and present their findings to Congressional committees.
The bill’s sponsors emphasized that the current statistics represent a critical failure in how the nation cares for its military personnel. “It is absolutely unacceptable that veterans are 50% more likely to die by suicide than the civilian population, and we must do everything in our power to protect and care for those who have risked their lives for this country,” Senator Blackburn said.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
