Proposed rule bans nearly all abortions at VA hospitals
Pregnant veterans would no longer be able to receive an abortion in a hospital operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, including in cases of rape or incest or when a pregnancy threatens their health, the Trump administration proposed Monday.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
The VA said in the proposal that it is reversing a 2022 rule that for the first time allowed the department to provide abortions in limited circumstances to pregnant veterans and their eligible family members, even in states that banned abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Between 1999 and 2022, the VA excluded almost all abortions and abortion counseling for veterans and their families from their medical benefits package.
By reversing the rule, officials are seeking to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to terminate pregnancies, according to a filing released Friday. They also called the Biden administration’s decision to implement the interim rule “inappropriate” and “legally questionable.”
A final rule could come as soon as the public comment period on the measure closes on Sept. 3.
Reproductive rights groups said the move robbed service members of the ability to control their bodies and their futures.
“Since taking office, the Trump administration has repeatedly attacked service members, veterans, and their families’ access to basic reproductive care, including gender-affirming care,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said, referring to the VA’s decision in March to stop providing transgender veterans with hormone therapy.
“Taking away access to health care shows us that the Trump administration will always put politics and retribution over people’s lives.”
Anti-abortion groups, meanwhile, applauded the Trump administration’s decision, calling it a “major win” for the movement.
“Instead of prioritizing the real and urgent needs of our veterans, the Biden-Harris Administration turned VA hospitals into abortion centers – violating longstanding law and betraying the will of the American people who strongly oppose forced taxpayer-funded abortions,” the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said in a statement.
“Thankfully, this injustice is now corrected.”
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
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