Trump to reverse Biden-era policy allowing VA hospitals to perform abortions

August 5, 2025

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced plans to reverse a rule implemented by the Biden administration that authorized taxpayer-funded VA hospitals to perform abortions and provide abortion counseling.

The Christian Post reports that pro-life Christian groups are celebrating President Trump’s decision to reverse the policy which was implemented in 2022.

The Biden administration enacted the rule shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision prompted several state to pass near-total abortion bans.

Under the policy, VA hospitals in states with near-total abortion bans were authorized to perform abortions in cases of rape, incest or the mother experiencing a medical emergency.

The proposed rule states: “We believe the 2022 interim final rule was not only inappropriate as a matter of fact but also was legally questionable. The only time Congress has specifically addressed VA’s authority to provide abortions was in 1992 in section 106 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992.”

The law authorized the VA to perform “general reproductive health care” but specifically excluded abortions, infertility services and pregnancy care.

The proposal also clarifies that the, “VA has never understood this policy to prohibit providing care to pregnant women in life-threatening circumstances, including treatment for ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages, which were covered under the VA’s medical benefits package prior to the 2022” policy change.

In a statement shared with the Christian Post last week, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser praised the Trump administration’s plans, saying, “We thank President Trump and VA Secretary Collins for restoring the rule of law and ending the Biden administration’s illegal policy that forced taxpayers to fund abortions through VA hospitals and violated state pro-life laws.” 

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