Trump Administration Reverses Biden-Era VA Policy Allowing Abortions for Veterans

The Trump administration has officially rescinded a policy introduced during the Biden era that permitted veterans to access abortion services under the guise of medical care. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Friday its plan to reinstate the comprehensive ban on abortions and related counseling within the veterans' medical benefits, a restriction that was lifted in 2022. Historically, since the benefits program's inception in 1999, such services were barred until that change. The VA also intends to reimpose prohibitions on abortion and counseling coverage under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA), which had been relaxed in 2022. The VA clarified that this move aims to ensure that medical services provided align with the goal of delivering necessary care to veterans and their families. Legally, the VA has always had the authority to restrict abortion services, and prior to 2022, it exercised this authority consistently. The 2022 policy reversal by the previous administration was in response to the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which emphasized states’ rights over federal...