VA to offer abortion access to military veterans, dependents, in limited circumstances

The Department of Veteran Affairs is moving to offer abortion access to veterans or eligible dependents following the Supreme Court ruling in June that reversed Roe v. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to the procedure.

The department signaled its proposed change in an entry Thursday to the Federal Register.

Access to abortions would be limited to cases of rape, incest or if the mother's health is in jeopardy, according to the Washington Examiner. 

Once the proposal goes into effect, VA physicians will be permitted to perform abortions on federal property for the first time.

"This is a patient safety decision,” said Denis McDonough, the secretary of Veterans Affairs. “Pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries deserve to have access to world-class reproductive care when they need it most. That’s what our nation owes them, and that’s what we at VA will deliver." 

Since the high court’s ruling, and even before, in preparation for the expected outcome, states began crafting and voting on abortion, or abortion-ban, legislation. 

More than a dozen states have sought to impose abortion restrictions since the ruling, which sent abortion policy back to the states –meaning that service members could be stationed in a state that doesn't allow abortion, the newspaper also reports.