[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released a statement slamming the Trump Administration’s Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) secret implementation of a new policy to stop providing abortion care and counseling to veterans who have been raped or whose pregnancy is threatening their health.

 “Secretively and sickeningly, Trump’s VA is depriving women veterans of essential health care. A policy just issued by Secretary Collins stops this reproductive care even for women who are victims of rape or incest, or whose health is at risk. He’s done it by internal memo, not by open rule making, avoiding public attention and scrutiny. My Republican colleagues should be as outraged as I am. The result will be chaos and confusion among health care providers, and anxiety and pain for women veterans. This cruel, misguided action is reckless and reprehensible.”

In September 2022, VA began to offer abortion counseling to all pregnant veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries, and abortion in cases of rape, incest, or life or health endangerment of the veteran or CHAMPVA beneficiary. This was in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, which created urgent risks to the lives and health of pregnant veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries in states that banned or otherwise severely restricted access to abortion.

The Trump Department of Justice issued a memo banning this abortion care and counseling at VA a few days ago, and the Trump VA just issued its own internal memo yesterday implementing this new policy immediately. This follows the Trump VA’s announcement in August of its intent to issue this change in a proposed rule. However, rather than complete the regular rulemaking process, VA Secretary Doug Collins is implementing this policy without issuing a final rule without notifying veterans or the public.

More than 462,000 women veterans of reproductive age are enrolled in VA health care. More than half of these women live in states that have enacted abortion bans or restrictions.