September 14, 2022
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doesn’t lack in issues they could be working on to improve life for the men and women who have faithfully served our country. However, Biden’s VA has released a new proposed measure to prioritize more abortion and life-ending counseling, to pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries. As reported, this violates “Section 106 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 which specifically prohibits the VA from providing abortion.” This also violates common sense, as the Biden Administration prioritizes abortion so that fewer people with the outstanding character and commitment of our veterans and those on active duty can be born.
To circumvent state’s laws further, the Biden Administration recently announced the Pentagon will pay for service members to travel to commit abortions.
Click HERE to send a comment of opposition to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs!
Rather than help our fighting men and women build strong families, the VA wants to end future families.
This proposal also indicates a plan to break local laws. According to the Daily Caller, “VA healthcare workers will be able to perform abortions even in states in which they are outlawed.” Such policy changes would circumvent existing state laws that were passed by representatives at the will of the people.
This is not the first time abortion zealots have tried to overwrite state prolife laws. Earlier this year, the Biden Administration was pressured to use federal land for abortion. Students for Life Action’s legal analysis showed that the federal government could not use the lands it uses and even seizes in the individual states in ways that break state laws. Almost 40 prominent pro-life leaders joined an SFLAction letter to Congress demanding legislators stop such abuse of federal lands.
In the letter, the prolife leaders noted: “If the federal government utilizes federal property obtained under the Enclave Clause to facilitate abortions—whether to operate abortion clinics, provide physical space for physicians to prescribe the chemical abortion drug, or otherwise—it is likely violating the applicable state’s right to protect the health and welfare of women and the unborn. The leadership of each state should closely assess the underlying conveyance instrument and seriously consider challenging the federal government’s abortion-related activities on the property.”
Apparently, the military’s concern for dwindling recruitment numbers doesn’t bother Biden or the VA enough as they promote policies that prevent future children from growing up and serving the country. After all, research shows us that roughly 79% of veterans have an immediate family member who served.
The VA’s proposed rule would cut into that number more elective abortions and fewer family members. In a statement, the VA wrote:
“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. 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.”
While Students for Life Action (SFLAction) and Students for Life of America (SFLA) have consistently supported exceptions that save the life of a mother at risk, the consequences of elective abortions can also lead to infertility or death. The Department negates this fact, but a study from the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that Chemical Abortion related emergency room visits increased by 507% between 2002 and 2015 and the surgical abortion visit rate increased by 315%.
Yes, there are miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies that need to be treated to ensure a woman’s safety but promoting elective abortions is deadly for the preborn and risky for women as exemplified in the Charlotte Lozier study. The fact that abortion is not a “treatment” for ectopic pregnancy is so well known, Planned Parenthood used to discuss it at their website – until they scrubbed the facts when they become inconvenient.
The VA’s interim final rule would also allow payment for abortion counseling for covered and noncovered abortions, with no indication that medical professional’s conscience rights would be protected.
As the VA rapidly moves forward with their proposed measure, it raises the question of whether a federally funded entity would be violating Hyde protections, that limit federal funding of abortion to cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger. The Hyde Amendment was passed to protect taxpayers from having their tax dollars used to fund abortions across the board.
According to the Heritage Foundation, “Hyde-like restrictions have also been enacted into permanent law in various statutes that apply to TRICARE (the military health care program), Veterans Affairs, CHIP, Medicare, and more.”
Senators such as Oklahoma’s James Lankford are calling on Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Denis McDonough to put a stop to this proposal.
In a letter to McDonough, Lankford wrote: “Only Congress can change federal law, and Congress has held for the past 30 years that the VA is not permitted to offer abortion services. While activists and even my colleagues in Congress—including some who have written to you to encourage you to promote abortions in states where unborn children’s lives are protected, such as Oklahoma—may desire for you to use your authority to usurp Congress to allow the VA to provide, or even pay for abortions through rulemaking, that would be a direct violation of the laws you swore to uphold and follow.”
SFLAction and SFLA are fighting back against these policy changes that jeopardize more preborn babies and violate existing laws. To join us, Use the form below to quickly send a comment to the Department by October 9!
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