VA Considers Reversing Abortion Policy at Its Hospitals
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is set to potentially reverse a policy from the Biden administration, which allowed abortions to be conducted under specific circumstances at VA-affiliated hospitals.
Last month, the VA released a proposed rule to eliminate this policy, originating from Biden’s time in office. The period for public comment on this proposal recently concluded.
In a statement to The Christian Post, a VA spokesperson characterized the Biden-era policy as a “politically motivated change,” deviating from the department’s long-held stance of not providing abortion services.
“Prior to the Biden Administration’s politically motivated change in 2022, federal law and longstanding precedent across Democrat and Republican administrations prevented VA from providing abortions and abortion counseling,” the spokesperson noted. “VA’s proposed rule will reinstate the pre-Biden bipartisan policy, bringing the department back in line with historical norm.”
The spokesperson added that the VA is “following the established rulemaking process, including reviewing all public comments in response to the proposal,” and emphasized that no changes would be implemented “until the rule is finalized.”
Moreover, the policy change will not impede the department’s ability to provide care to pregnant women facing life-threatening conditions.
In September 2022, the Biden administration introduced an interim final rule that enabled VA hospitals to offer abortions and abortion counseling in certain cases, such as rape, incest, or life-threatening medical emergencies.
Denis McDonough, who was then the VA secretary, justified the decision by stating, “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.”
This regulatory change was a reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, which determined that abortion was not a constitutional right, overturning the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. The decision allowed states to impose near-total bans on abortion.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., voiced his opposition through a letter to McDonough, arguing that a 1992 federal law prohibits the VA from providing abortion services.
“Only Congress can change federal law, and Congress has held for the past 30 years that the VA is not permitted to offer abortion services,” Lankford contended. “Abortion is not and will never be healthcare. Healthcare protects life. Abortion takes life.”
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
