Veterans Affairs to offer abortion counseling, abortions in cases of rape or incest

The US Department of Veterans Affairs will now provide abortion services for veterans and their dependents in the event that the pregnancy was the result of rape, incest or when carrying a child to term would endanger the mother.

Prior to the move, the VA was prohibited from conducting any abortion services or care counseling.

The agency announced the development in a statement on Friday. Denis McDonough, the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, said in the statement that the move was a "patient safety decision," and that "our nation owes" veterans and their beneficiaries "world-class reproductive care."

Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat, praised the development in a statement shared with NBC.

"For the first time ever, the Veterans Health Administration will finally be able to provide abortion care to ensure none of our veterans or their eligible dependents will have to face medical emergencies," she said.

Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), issued a joint statement on Friday lauding the agency for “heeding our calls,” before urging the VA to remove any restrictions on their abortion access.

“This is an important first step. The VA must go further and provide these services to all veterans, regardless of circumstances,” they said. “It’s critical that women are trusted and free to make decisions about their bodies.”

The press release anticipated the likely blowback the move will get from conservatives by including a defense of offering abortion services and the consequences of doing otherwise.

"Access to medically necessary abortions is essential for preserving the life and health of Veterans and VA beneficiaries. Restricting access to abortion care has well-documented adverse health consequences, including increased risk of loss of future fertility, significant morbidity, or death," the VA said in the statement. "Veterans are also at greater risk of experiencing pregnancy-related complications due to increased rates of chronic health conditions. Therefore, to protect the life and health of pregnant Veterans and eligible beneficiaries, VA determined that it was necessary to provide access to abortion counseling and — in some cases — abortions."

The VA also said it would approve the procedures on a case-by-case basis and only after "careful consultation" between the agency, the patients, and their primary doctors.

This has not made Republican lawmakers in Congress who oppose the idea, any less frustrated by the move.

Military Times reports that Republican Senator Jerry Moran tried to dissuade the group from considering offering the procedures, citing the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, which prohibits them from offering abortions.

Democrats — and the VA — are arguing that a later provision in the Veterans Health Care Eligigibility Reform Act of 1996 allows the VA to administer "needed" medical care to veterans, including abortions.

Republican Congressman Mike Bost criticised the VA in a statement he released Friday after the announcement.

“Abortion is wrong, and Congress prohibited VA from providing it decades ago,” he said. “This proposal is contrary to longstanding, settled law and a complete administrative overreach. I oppose it and am already working to put a stop to it.”

As Mr Bost is likely aware, a law being longstanding and settled does not necessarily protect it from change. For example, 10 weeks ago the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a decision he said he “wholeheartedly agreed with.”

In addition to its limited abortion services, the VA also offers counseling, fertility services, contraceptives, emergency contraceptives, and other pregnancy-related treatments to veterans and their beneficiaries.