The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has ended abortion services and most abortion counseling for veterans nationwide, with officials telling Military.com that a Department of Justice (DOJ) opinion leaves the agency no legal authority to provide that care.
The rollback follows a DOJ opinion issued last year that VA officials said required an immediate reversal of a 2022 Biden administration policy that expanded abortion access within the VA system. The change applies across VA facilities nationwide and limits abortion services to cases involving life-threatening medical emergencies, affecting veterans who rely on VA care regardless of abortion laws in their home states.
“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,” VA spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz told Military.com. “DOJ’s opinion is consistent with VA’s final rule on this matter.”
A White House spokesperson declined to comment, referring Military.com to the VA.
Military.com reached out for comment to the DOJ, White House and multiple congressional veterans committees.
'Longstanding Precedent'
Kasperowicz said the rollback restores what VA calls longstanding policy.
“Prior to the Biden administration’s politically motivated change in 2022, federal law and longstanding precedent across Democrat and Republican administrations prevented VA from providing abortions and abortion counseling,” he said.
VA pointed to the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 and said its medical benefits package has excluded abortions and abortion counseling in most circumstances since 1999. VA said it still can provide care when a medical emergency threatens the life of a pregnant patient.
Senate Democrats Move on Legislation
Democratic lawmakers moved quickly to challenge the VA’s abortion policy, introducing legislation aimed at reversing the rule just days after it took effect.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said Wednesday that she and other senators introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Trump administration’s VA abortion rule, which she described as a sweeping restriction on veterans’ health care.
“Trump’s VA abortion ban is a profound betrayal of women who put their lives on the line for our country—ripping away access to abortion care even when a woman is raped or her pregnancy endangers her health,” Murray said in a statement provided to Military.com. “If the Trump administration thought they could quietly implement this extreme abortion ban and get away with it, they thought wrong. We won’t stop being loud about this.”
Murray said the rule goes beyond limiting services, arguing it also restricts communication between VA providers and patients.
“Trump’s policy not only rips away VA’s already-limited ability to provide abortion care, but it gags VA providers from even talking to their veteran patients about their health care options,” she said. “It does not get more extreme than this.”
The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to overturn recently finalized federal rules with a simple majority vote in both chambers, though such efforts face long odds without bipartisan support and presidential approval.
Murray said she hopes the resolution will force a broader debate over veterans’ health care and the scope of services provided through the VA.
“I hope every senator will join me in fighting to overturn Trump’s abortion ban at VA and restore essential health care for our veterans,” she said.
Policy Change Hits VA Facilities Nationwide
VA’s decision reaches a nationwide health system that provides care to more than 9 million enrolled veterans through medical centers, outpatient clinics and affiliated providers in every state.
VA facilities had been permitted since 2022 to provide abortion care and counseling in limited circumstances, including cases of rape or incest, as officials weighed how the post Dobbs landscape could restrict access for patients depending on where they live.
Officials said at the time that the department was monitoring state restrictions and evaluating whether policy changes were needed to protect access for veterans, including women of childbearing age who use VA health care.
Debate over access inside the military and veterans systems intensified after Dobbs, with service members also telling lawmakers that the ability to obtain abortion care can shape whether they stay in uniform, linking reproductive health access to readiness and retention pressures.
Advocacy Groups Say Promise Was Broken
Reproductive rights advocates and veterans groups warned that the rollback could fall hardest on women veterans who rely on VA as their primary source of health care, including survivors of sexual assault.
“The Department of Veterans Affairs' new policy denies abortion care and counseling to veterans and their loved ones who rely on the VA for care, even if the pregnancy endangers their health or is the result of rape and incest,” Samira Damavandi, a senior policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, told Military.com. “This rule impacts all VA facilities, even in states where abortion care is legal overriding state policymakers that have protected and expanded abortion care in their state.”
Damavandi pointed to the size and diversity of the population affected, saying there are over 2.1 million women veterans in the U.S. along with 2-in-5 female veterans identify as racial or ethnic minorities.
"We know that abortion bans and restrictions disproportionately impact people of color and this will only exacerbate this disparity. ... In finalizing the rule, the administration ignored thousands of public comments opposing this change that will not only cause chaos and confusion but also deny veterans information about their care options,” she added.
Damavandi also said the policy change strips access even for rape and incest cases and could create confusion for patients seeking guidance.
The Center for Reproductive Rights said the rollback undercuts repeated promises that abortion policy would remain with the states.
“Veterans risked their lives to defend our safety and freedom and now the Trump administration is taking away theirs,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, told Military.com. “President Trump said he would leave abortion to the states, but he continues to seize new opportunities to restrict it nationally.”
Service Women’s Action Network warned that the shift could force veterans to travel for care, describing broader health impacts.
“Restricting access to abortion can have dangerous repercussions on the health and safety of women veterans and service members,” Rachel Aggeler, director of policy and legislative advocacy for Service Women’s Action Network, told Military.com. “The VA should serve all veterans, especially those who experience higher rates of military sexual assault.”
Advocates also pointed to efforts on Capitol Hill to reverse the policy. Damavandi said Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) has introduced legislation in the House and has also led the Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act, which would direct VA to provide abortion care, counseling and reproductive health services to veterans.
A companion push is pending in the U.S. Senate.
