Veterans Affairs
Rep. Julia Brownley

Veterans who get pregnant as a result of rape while in military service can no longer get an abortion through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The development comes as the Trump administration announced an end to nearly all abortion services at VA facilities nationwide. In December, the Department of Justice said the agency lacks legal authority to provide such care.

According to Military.com, the only exception to this rule is when a doctor certifies that continuing a pregnancy would kill the patient.

VA spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz said, 'The Department of Justice last year issued an opinion that states VA is not legally authorized to provide abortions, and VA complied with that opinion immediately.'

The policy also bans VA staff from counselling veterans about abortion options. This reverses a 2022 Biden administration rule that allowed abortions in cases of rape, incest, or when pregnancy endangered a veteran's health.

Over 2 Million Women Veterans In The US

The VA provides healthcare to nine million enrolled veterans through facilities in every state. More than 2.1 million of them are women, and two in five are of racial or ethnic minorities.

The Center for Reproductive Rights said an estimated 400,000 women veterans live in states with total or near-total abortion bans. The VA was their only option for the procedure.

The new policy amounts to a national abortion ban for veterans that applies even in states where the procedure is legal.

Nancy Northup, President of the Center, expressed her opposition. 'Veterans risked their lives to defend our safety and freedom – and now the Trump Administration is taking away theirs,' she said in a statement, adding: 'Everyone should be appalled by this heartless policy. President Trump said he would leave abortion to the states, but he continues to seize new opportunities to restrict it nationally.'

About one in three women veterans report experiencing military sexual trauma when screened by VA providers, agency data shows. Women who served also have higher rates of PTSD, hypertension, and kidney disease, conditions that can make pregnancy dangerous.

Senate Democrats Introduce Resolution

Senator Patty Murray of Washington and fellow Democrats introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution on Wednesday to overturn the rule. In a Senate statement, Murray accused the administration of implementing what she called an extreme abortion ban.

Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a combat veteran who lost both legs in Iraq and receives her care through the VA, co-sponsored the resolution. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, ranking member on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, called the policy 'cruel, misguided' and 'reprehensible'.

In the House, Representative Julia Brownley of California introduced separate legislation, but so far, no Republicans have signed on.

VA Defends The Change

Kasperowicz said the department is returning to a longstanding policy. He cited the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 and said the benefits package excluded abortion in most cases since 1999. Kasperowicz called the Biden rule a 'politically motivated' change.

The Trump administration first proposed the abortion ban in August, drawing more than 24,300 public comments. Officials bypassed the remaining steps in the rulemaking process after receiving a December opinion from Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock, Scripps News reported.

Advocates Warn Of Wider Impact

Lindsay Church, co-founder of Minority Veterans of America, called the ban 'a direct attack on veterans' freedoms,' Democracy Forward reported.

VA Secretary Doug Collins, a former Georgia congressman and Air Force Reserve chaplain, declined to commit to keeping the Biden-era policy during his confirmation hearing. The Senate confirmed him by a 77-23 vote in February.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have endorsed the Democratic resolution. Collins is expected to face questions about the ban during upcoming congressional testimony on VA healthcare.