Trump administration bans US veterans agency from providing abortions | Trump administration
The Department of Veterans Affairs can no longer provide abortions to veterans, including in cases of rape or incest, following a Justice Department memo last week that found the practice to be legally unsound.
The ban follows months of efforts by the Trump administration to reverse a Biden-era policy that first allowed VA counseling veterans and their families about abortion and recommending the procedure in cases of rape or incest or if a veteran’s pregnancy jeopardizes their health. In August, the administration filed documents to formally reverse the policy that helped the VA’s network of more than 1,300 health care facilities that treat nearly 10 million veterans each year expand access to abortion, especially after the U.S. supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.
A VA spokesperson confirmed that this paperwork is still working through the lengthy rulemaking process.
“DOJ’s opinion states that VA is not legally authorized to provide abortions and that VA will promptly comply,” VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz said in an emailed statement. “DOJ’s opinion is consistent with VA’s proposed rule.”
Screenshots obtained by an advocacy group An internal VA memo distributed among the heads of VA’s regional care networks on Dec. 22 states that the changes “do not prohibit the provision of care to pregnant women in life-threatening situations,” including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or situations “when the veteran’s clinician … determines the care necessary to save a veteran’s life.”
A VA spokesperson did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about the screenshot or about veterans’ ability to obtain abortions in medical emergencies.
“After sacrificing so much for our country, it is callous and inhumane to deny veterans access to essential health care and abortion, even in cases of rape or serious health risk,” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the legal nonprofit Democracy Forward, said in a statement. Democracy Forward We took a screenshot of the note and published it..
More than a dozen states have banned nearly all abortions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe. By 2024, more than half of female veterans live in states where abortion is banned or likely to be banned. According to the National Partnership for Women and Families.
VA’s abortion ban news First reported by MS Now.
