St. Louis, Missouri, 2 September 2022, 12:50 pm (CNA).
The Department of Veterans Affairs stated on Friday that it would begin offering abortions in situations including risks to the mother’s life or health, rape, or incest.
The organization, which has never previously provided abortions, aims to do so nationally “regardless of state regulations.”
The VA website states, “Specifically, VA will be allowed to give access to abortions where the life or health of the pregnant Veteran would be at risk if the pregnancy were brought to term, or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.” Additionally, the VA will provide counseling on “pregnancy alternatives, including abortion.”
As the VA is a federal agency, the new guidelines will apply even in states with abortion prohibitions. Since the June 24 overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court, more than a dozen states have prohibited abortion, with limited exceptions.
According to the website, “VA workers may offer permitted services regardless of state prohibitions when acting within the scope of their federal job.”
The interim final regulation will become effective following publication in the federal register, after which the public will have 30 days to make comments. The VA will “immediately prepare to deliver these services in as many places as feasible” once the regulation is released, the agency said.
The VA’s decision to provide abortions is likely to be challenged in court. Politico noted that the Hyde Amendment limits government financing of abortions to instances involving rape, incest, or a danger of maternal death, and that the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 bars abortions for military veterans and retirees.
BREAKING:
Even in places where human life has been protected and abortion has been declared illegal, the Veterans Administration will do abortions.
This action by the Biden Administration is terribly unethical, unfair, and unlawful.
RT!https://t.co/p76OByyfuc
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 2, 2022
All states with abortion laws in the United States provide exceptions for abortions judged medically necessary to preserve the mother’s life. Although many lifesaving operations may have the unintentional effect of terminating a pregnancy, direct abortion is never required to save the mother’s life, according to medical specialists.
Some jurisdictions, such as Texas, broaden the list of exceptions to include situations in which the mother’s health is at danger, but not all states provide exceptions for rape or incest.