Introduction

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is tasked with providing comprehensive health care services to veterans and eligible dependents in the CHAMPVA program. However, access to reproductive health care through the VA is subject to a unique set of restrictions, including a proposed new ban on abortion care and counseling. Compounded by the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, this ban would detrimentally impact the lives and health of millions of veterans across the country. This fact sheet provides an overview of the proposed ban on abortion for veterans and their qualified beneficiaries, the unique health risks veterans face when abortion care is unavailable, and the impact this new policy would have nationwide.  

About the proposal

The Trump administration has proposed a harmful ban on abortion care and counseling at VA health facilities.

On August 4, 2025, the VA issued a proposed rule that prohibits abortion counseling for veterans and their qualified beneficiaries in all circumstances, and prohibits abortion care even in instances of rape, incest, or where the health of the pregnant veteran is at risk. While veterans and their loved ones were previously allowed to access abortion care in specific circumstances, this policy eliminates those exceptions apart from a narrow exception to save the life of a pregnant person.  

The VA’s new policy would be one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, and would apply to all VA health care facilities across the United States, even in states that protect the right to abortion. The policy will be open for public comment for 30 days, after which the administration will finalize the rule.  

The impact of this dangerous ban will undoubtedly be exacerbated by the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs to overturn Roe v. Wade. Since that decision, 12 states have completely banned abortion. For some veterans in those states, the VA was the only place they were able to obtain necessary abortion care. Now, veterans must not only seek out a new, unfamiliar health care provider and pay for their care out of pocket, but they may be turned away by local providers and emergency rooms and forced to travel hundreds of miles to access the care they need.  

Disregarding health risks

The new policy disregards the unique health risks pregnant veterans often experience.  

Even before Dobbs, access to family planning and reproductive health care services was limited in parts of the country, contributing to high rates of maternal mortality. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade catapulted the country’s access problem into a staggering public health crisis; By allowing states to severely restrict or outright ban abortion care, the lives and health of pregnant people are at even greater risk.   

Veterans already face increased health risks during pregnancy, which are worsened by the public health crisis and would be further exacerbated by the VA’s abortion ban. For example, veterans of reproductive age have high rates of chronic medical and mental health conditions that may increase pregnancy risks, including conditions like severe hypertension and chronic renal disease. Many veterans also experience severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can be exacerbated by pregnancy and may require abortion care to preserve the health or life of the veteran. Notably, PTSD is common among survivors of military sexual trauma, which is highly prevalent in the military. One in three women veterans report having experienced military sexual trauma, including sexual assault, during their service.

These unique pregnancy risks prompted the Biden administration to issue a rule in 2022 that, for the first time, permitted the VA to provide abortion care and counseling for veterans. The rule was responsive to the post-Dobbs public health crisis by expressly authorizing abortion care for veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries in cases of rape, incest, and where the pregnancy put the life or health of the pregnant person in danger. The rule also permitted VA health facilities to provide abortion counseling and referrals, offering veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries information about the full range of comprehensive reproductive health care options available to them. In issuing its rule, the Biden administration explicitly recognized the specific health care needs of veterans and the risks they face when abortion access is not available; The Trump administration’s proposed rescission of that rule once again disregards those unique needs. 

By the numbers

By the numbers: abortion bans imperil the health and lives of thousands of veterans

Over 9 million veterans receive their health care from the VA, and women veterans of reproductive age between ages 18-44 are also the fastest growing subset of new VA users. Notably, more than 400,000 women veterans live in states that severely restrict or ban abortion. Research also estimates that the veteran community includes more than 11,000 transgender men, in addition to non-binary veterans and veterans who identify with a different gender, who may need access to abortion care and counseling. This ban would undoubtedly endanger the health and lives of millions of veterans across the country and leave them without the essential health care and support they need and deserve.  

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