February 5, 2026
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) reinstated its pre-Biden policy against funding or committing abortions. Abortions are no longer committed by VA physicians, nor covered by VA medical benefits plans, except in life-threatening circumstances.
The work of Students for Life Action (SFLAction) has been instrumental in pressuring leadership to stop taxpayer-funded abortion committed by the VA, including on federal lands in pro-life states with laws limiting abortion.
“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,” SFLAction President Kristan Hawkins, joined by 40 prominent pro-life leaders, said in a 2022 letter to members of Congress urging action against VA-committed abortions. “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.”
This letter was part of SFLAction’s campaign of support for the “VA Abortion Transparency Act of 2024,” introduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
“The legislation that Sen. Tommy Tuberville is introducing is vital for following the money flowing away from medical care for those in the military toward efforts to end their young families,” Hawkins said in a 2024 press release. “The Biden Administration’s weaponization of programs to force abortion must be tracked so that we can reverse the devastation later.”
As previously reported by SFLAction:
“The policy applies to all VA health facilities, including those in states with legal abortion.
As ruled by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the pro-life policy is backed by the 1992 “Veterans Health Care Act”, which prevents VA physicians from both performing abortions and influencing patients to get abortions.
VA Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz told the Military Times that the VA is immediately complying with the DOJ’s opinion that the VA cannot legally commit abortions. “DOJ’s opinion is consistent with VA’s proposed rule, which continues to work its way through the regulatory process,” Kasperowicz said.
In response to the Dobbs decision and, as ruled by the DOJ, in direct contradiction to the Veterans Health Care Act, Biden-era officials quickly enacted an order to allow the VA to fund and commit abortions in cases of rape, incest, and health of the mother — even in states that illegalized all abortions. The loophole: VA physicians operate on federal land.
Real essential health care, including care for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages, is not prevented by the policy. And VA’s policy does not stop veterans from getting abortions within states’ laws, only from the VA funding or committing those abortions.
The policy change away from federally funded abortions of veterans’ children comes after the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, which paused taxpayer funding of abortions on the federal level for one year, marking a continued move away from publicly funded abortions.”
This is a big win for protecting preborn babies, but we’re not done. SFLAction will continue its work supporting the defunding of abortion vendors and the enacting of pro-life legislation on behalf of Life.
READ MORE: Democrats Angry Taxpayers Aren’t Paying to Kill Veterans’ Kids Anymore