Ranking Member Takano Condemns Trump Administration’s Rollback of Veterans’ Reproductive Healthcare Protections

WASHINGTON - Today, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano issued the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a proposed regulation to reinstate a complete ban on reproductive health services, including abortion-related counseling and care:

“Stripping away access to essential reproductive healthcare at VA, the largest integrated healthcare network in the United States, puts veterans’ lives at risk and violates the promise we made to them. Veterans have earned the right to healthcare. Full stop. This ban on reproductive healthcare will harm veterans and is dangerous. The proposed rule makes clear that Secretary Collins is substituting his judgment for that of the hundreds of thousands of women veterans who have earned the freedom to make personal medical decisions in consultation with their providers. It also gags medical providers and does not allow them to provide complete and honest care to veterans who get their care from VA. Rolling back this rule is a direct attack on veterans’ rights. It will jeopardize the lives of pregnant veterans across our country, especially those residing in states with total abortion bans and other reproductive healthcare restrictions, which have already led to preventable deaths. By instituting this extreme policy, the Trump administration is showing that it does not respect women veterans and their choice to make personal healthcare decisions about their bodies and their health. This does not reflect the will of the American people. To be clear: access to abortion is a critical component of reproductive healthcare. Reproductive healthcare is critical for veterans, who can experience significant reproductive impacts due to their service. I strongly oppose this unjust action and demand that President Trump and Secretary Collins reverse course and restore veterans’ access to medically necessary reproductive healthcare and counseling services at VA.”

Background: 

Before the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, VA had the most restrictive reproductive coverage policy of any federal agency, more extreme than the Department of Defense (DOD), the Indian Health Service (IHS), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. A 1999 VA regulation prohibited veterans from receiving any abortion-related services through VA—even in instances of rape, incest, and threat to life—and barred VA providers from even discussing such options with patients or coordinating counseling.  

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling and overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Biden Administration modernized VA’s medical regulations in September 2022. These modernizations allowed VA to offer abortion counseling and, in limited circumstances, provide abortion care when necessary. The rule changes helped ensure that veterans had access to vital medical care—even in states where such services were otherwise outlawed. Today’s reversal by the Trump administration undoes those protections, reinstating the outdated and extreme 1999 ban in full.

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