Pregnant veterans and beneficiaries will continue to receive abortion services through the Department of Veterans Affairs, in certain cases.
“VA will be able to offer abortion counseling and abortions to pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries in cases of rape, incest, or when the life or health of the veteran would be endangered if the pregnancy were carried to term – in accordance with generally accepted standards of medical practice,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal.
Department leadership based the decision to continue to provide abortion services on patient-safety considerations, even though the Supreme Court recently ruled that abortions were not guaranteed under the Constitution.
“Pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries deserve to have access to world-class reproductive care when they need it most,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “That’s what our nation owes them, and that’s what we at VA will deliver.”
The services would be provided once an interim rule is published in the Federal Register and public comment is reviewed. Once the services are available, VA will provide them to all eligible patients – even if they live in states that have restricted the procedure.
Beneficiaries would need to be enrolled in CHAMPVA, the department’s health-care plan specifically for them, to qualify for treatment.
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