Experts believe the rule is a reversal of a Biden-era policy of the same name which ended the agency\u2019s ban on abortion counseling for veterans and allowed for VA providers to offer abortion services in limited circumstances, such as rape, incest, or endangerment of a pregnant person\u2019s life or health. If the policy is overturned, hundreds of thousands of veterans in states with abortion bans could lose access to abortion care and counseling.<\/p>\n
Sara Outterson, chief federal legislative counsel for Policy and Advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said the change appears to be \u201cthe first nationwide abortion ban that Trump is supporting and putting in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new rule has not yet been published, and until it is, experts can\u2019t be certain what exactly is in it. The VA did not respond to The Intercept\u2019s request for comment. But Rachel Fey, vice president of policy and strategic partnerships at the reproductive and sexual health advocacy organization Power to Decide, said that based on the Trump administration\u2019s posture and explicit calls in Project 2025<\/a> to reverse the Biden policy, she expects one of two outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe think either they would roll back the exceptions to an extremely narrow set that mimics the Hyde Amendment,\u201d Fey said, referring to a law that bars federal funds from being used for abortion care except in cases of rape, incest, or to save a person\u2019s life. (The Hyde Amendment does not allow exceptions to preserve a person\u2019s health in non-fatal circumstances, as the Biden rule does.)<\/p>\n Or, Fey said, another possibility is \u201cjust striking [the Biden rule] entirely and saying abortion is not allowed in any circumstances at the VA.\u201d<\/p>\n The Biden administration implemented the Reproductive Health Services rule<\/a> for the VA in 2024, two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Though the rule only allows VA hospitals to provide abortions in extreme circumstances, it was designed to provide basic protections in states that moved quickly to institute abortion bans.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Over half of all women veterans of reproductive age<\/a> in the U.S. live in states where abortion is banned or likely to be banned, according to analysis from the National Partnership for Women & Families.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s 345,000 women veterans that live in states that have banned or are likely to ban abortion,\u201d said Jaclyn Dean, director of congressional relations, reproductive health, at the National Partnership for Women & Families. \u201cFor many of the women veterans living in any of those 12 states with total abortion bans, the VA is the only place that they can get abortion care. So you can expect those people to lose abortion care in cases of rape, incest, in the life and health of the pregnant person.\u201d<\/p>\n In that climate, Fey stressed, even narrowing the exceptions could be devastating.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen in states like Texas<\/a> and Idaho is women coming close to death, suffering the loss of future fertility sometimes, suffering long-term disability because they were not given the standard clinical care they needed when they needed it,\u201d Fey said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re talking about when we get to a life exception versus a health exception.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., who co-authored a letter in April opposing the rule change<\/a> along with 130 House Democrats, said reversing the Biden rule was a \u201cbetrayal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs a physician, I trained at the VA, where a sign at the entrance read: \u2018The price of freedom is visible here.\u2019 Our veterans sacrificed everything for this country, and in return, we promised them the best care possible,\u201d Dexter wrote in a statement to The Intercept. \u201cFor Trump to reinstate a complete ban on abortion care and counseling at the VA \u2013 even in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life or health of the mother \u2014 is an utter betrayal of that promise.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019re independent of corporate interests \u2014 and powered by members. Join us. <\/p>\n Join Our Newsletter <\/p>\n Thank You For Joining! <\/p>\n \n Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you. <\/p>\n Will you take the next step to support our independent journalism by becoming a member of The Intercept?\n <\/p>\n By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n Veterans also face unique health risks related to pregnancy, said Outterson with the Center for Reproductive Rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-1241283056-the-end-of-roe.jpg\")
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