Department of Veterans Affairs to offer abortions to veterans in certain cases

The Department of Veterans Affairs will offer abortions and abortion counseling under certain circumstances, even in states where the procedure is outlawed. 

The agency that cares for America’s warriors said Friday it has submitted an interim rule to the Federal Register that will allow the VA to provide access to abortion when the pregnant veteran’s life is at risk or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. 

The move is the latest by the Biden administration to expand access to abortion as conservative-led states continue to restrict the procedure. 

“This is a patient safety decision,” Denis McDonough, secretary of Veterans Affairs, said in a statement. “Pregnant Veterans and VA beneficiaries deserve to have access to world-class reproductive care when they need it most. That’s what our nation owes them, and that’s what we at VA will deliver.”

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Once the rule is published, it will go into effect immediately, the VA said. It will be available for public comment for 30 days thereafter. 

The VA said it is prepared “to provide these services in as many locations as possible.”

“As abortion bans come into force across the country, veterans in many States are no longer assured access to abortion services in their communities, even when those services are needed,” the rule states. 

President Biden has taken several steps to expand reproductive health care services and access to those services since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

In August, he signed an executive order that paves the way for taxpayer-funded abortions. 

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“I believe Roe got it right, and it’s been the law for close to 50 years,” the president said at the signing, which he attended virtually due to his COVID-19 diagnosis. “And I commit to the American people we’re doing everything in our power to safeguard access to health care, including the right to choose what women had under Roe v. Wade, which was ripped away by this extreme court.”

Fox News’ Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.