Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
More than 130 House Democrats are pressing the Department of Veterans Affairs to maintain a policy enabling veterans to access abortion care and counseling as part of their medical benefits.
The big picture: An interim final rule now at OMB would reinstate prior restrictions on abortion access and "would pose an immediate and grave danger for veterans," the lawmakers wrote in a letter first shared with Axios.
- VA Secretary Doug Collins told Democratic senators at his confirmation hearing in January that the department "does not do abortion" and his team would evaluate existing policies.
Catch up quick: The Biden administration last year finalized a rule allowing VA to provide access to abortion counseling and — in certain cases — abortions in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the veteran or dependent would be endangered if a pregnancy were carried to term.
- It came in response to the Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade and would have applied even in states with abortion bans.
- Republicans have argued that the VA is prohibited from providing abortion services under a 1992 law and last year inserted a rider to limit access in the annual spending bill funding the department. Anti-abortion forces have been lobbying the Trump administration to strike the Biden policy.
Zoom in: Several freshmen Democratic House doctors are leading the letter to Collins, including Reps. Maxine Dexter and Kelly Morrison.
- "An interim final rule that restricts access to abortion for veterans would pose an immediate and grave danger for veterans and deprive them, without proper notice, of the benefits they have earned and the health care they need," the lawmakers wrote.
- "To ensure our veterans continue to have access to the reproductive health care they need, we demand your agency withdraw any pending rule and refrain from issuing future rules that would rescind or restrict access to abortion care and counseling at the VA."
