The Trump administration has banned U.S. military veterans from receiving abortions through the federal government’s health care system by ordering the Department of Veterans Affairs to reinstate a near-total ban.
The Department of Justice issued guidance to the VA two weeks ago instructing the agency to stop nearly all abortions and abortion counseling through its facilities, allowing the care only in life-threatening cases. VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz has since confirmed to Military Times that the department is following the policy.
Related: Trump administration to limit abortion for veterans after restricting gender-affirming care
“The Department of Justice’s opinion states that VA is not legally authorized to provide abortions, and VA is complying with it immediately," Kasperowicz said. "The DOJ’s opinion is consistent with VA’s proposed rule, which continues to work its way through the regulatory process."
The Trump administration first put forth the policy in August, which eliminated the Biden administration's 2022 rule guaranteeing access to abortion through the VA. It prevents abortions even in cases of rape, incest, or when the health of the pregnant patient is at risk, only allowing them if “a physician certifies that the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term."
The initial filing accused the Biden administration of allowing access to abortion "without regard to State law." However, the Trump administration's rule applies to those even in states where abortion is protected by state law.
The Trump administration similarly ended gender-affirming care for transgender veterans earlier this year. The VA announced in March that it would stop providing the lifesaving treatments, citing Trump’s January executive order defining sex and gender as strictly male or female and unchanging, despite the scientific and medical consensus that sex is a spectrum.
Related: Transgender vets deserve access to gender-affirming care, Veterans Affairs providers say (exclusive)
The VA soon after rolled back dignity protections for trans vets, which allowed them to use single-sex facilities that align with their gender identity. It also imposed strict regulations on what providers are allowed to do for their patients, including preventing them from issuing referrals to private practitioners.
"Trump’s far-right administration is waging a war against access to safe abortion," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a post online. "This is a BETRAYAL of our brave American veterans."
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