In a disturbing turn of events, VA clinics across the nation, which should prioritize offering medical services to our veterans, are being repurposed into abortion facilities under Joe Biden’s administration. This policy shift allows for taxpayer-funded abortions up to birth, blatantly ignoring a prohibition that has been in effect since 1992. The Department of Veterans Affairs, bypassing a longstanding ban, enacted a new rule in September 2022 to use taxpayer money for abortions under broad “health” reasons, with an official estimating about 1,000 unborn babies will be aborted annually under this rule.
Furthermore, the rule mandates VA hospitals to perform abortions “regardless of state restrictions,” leading attorneys general from 18 states to sue the Biden administration for contravening state laws designed to protect unborn children. Despite opposition, the Biden administration is pushing forward, making this contentious policy permanent, a decision that could take months or even years to reverse under a pro-life administration.
According to recent reports, the VA has already been responsible for the abortion of dozens of babies under this policy. The rule authorizes VA facilities to perform abortions on service members and their family members for reasons including rape, incest, and to preserve the life or health of the mother, with the VA also offering abortion counseling.
This policy, set to become permanently effective on April 3, has already seen the VA providing 88 abortions in its first year of implementation. This action aligns with a U.S. military policy announced by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in October 2022, which offers paid leave and travel reimbursements for service members seeking abortions.
Amidst this policy’s enforcement, concerns are growing over the pressure VA doctors and nurses may face to perform abortions, potentially coercing them to act against their conscience. While the Biden rule suggests that VA administrators should respect healthcare providers’ conscience rights, the actual enforcement of these protections remains uncertain.
Critics, including SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser, have vehemently condemned this radical abortion agenda. Dannenfelser highlights that VA hospitals, instead of serving the critical needs of wounded, ill, and homeless veterans, are being exploited to further the Biden-Harris administration’s culture wars, with taxpayer dollars funding these controversial practices.
This administration’s actions reflect a grave misuse of resources intended for veterans’ care, diverting attention and funding away from those who have served our country to promote a deeply divisive and morally contentious agenda. It underscores a troubling prioritization by the current administration, where ideological battles are waged at the expense of our veterans’ well-being and the sanctity of unborn life.
