The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday will finalize its policy of providing abortions to veterans and other beneficiaries in certain cases, including in states that have banned the procedure, according to a federal notice.
The move will make the abortion policy official, but the VA has been providing veterans and covered dependents abortions on an interim basis since September 2022 — just months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or their life or health is at risk because of the pregnancy. The policy also allows VA doctors to provide abortion counseling to any patient.
The abortion services were part of the Biden administration’s reaction to the high court ruling, and Republicans have since floated proposals to block them. For now, the policy will be finalized without any changes in a rule that will be published in the Federal Register on Monday, according to the notice posted Friday on the Federal Register’s website.
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The VA announced it would for the first time offer abortions in certain circumstances as states banned or severely restricted the procedure in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, called Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The ruling overturned 50 years of nationwide abortion rights granted by Roe v. Wade.
“These state bans and restrictions on abortion…
