{"id":250764,"date":"2021-08-09T06:30:50","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T11:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=250764"},"modified":"2021-08-08T20:36:41","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T01:36:41","slug":"senator-corrects-va-secretary-federal-committing-abortions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/senator-corrects-va-secretary-federal-committing-abortions\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Senator corrects VA Secretary: Federal law prevents VA from committing abortions"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas recently weighed in<\/a> on the ongoing conversation about whether the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities\u00a0should commit abortions. During a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last week, Sen. Moran made remarks countering repeated misstatements by current VA Secretary Denis McDonough, who has previously called the abortion prohibition a “policy decision” and a “regulatory matter,” intimating that the policy could be reversed or the regulation removed. Moran noted that the VA’s prohibition on abortion provision or counseling is no mere “policy decision” \u2014 it is enshrined in federal law<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Sen. Moran said, “I want to draw attention to a letter I received from Secretary McDonough last week describing VA\u2019s prohibition on abortion services as a \u2018policy decision.’ The letter follows the Secretary\u2019s testimony in March where he described VA-provided abortion services as a \u2018regulatory matter.\u2019 What is troubling about these statements is that VA\u2019s prohibition on abortion services is more than a policy decision or regulatory matter, it\u2019s the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

In no uncertain terms, Sen. Moran spelled out, “In 1992, Congress passed the Veterans Healthcare Act, which specifically prohibits VA from providing abortion services.” He noted that until March of 2021 the VA’s own website stated that the VA “cannot, by law, provide abortion services.\u201d At this time, the VA’s website<\/a> reads “Under current regulation, VA does not provide abortion or abortion counseling.”<\/p>\n

Sen. Moran concluded his remarks by noting that despite misleading statements by its secretary, the VA “has not acted or indicated that it will act on changing its long-standing policy to follow the law as written in regard to abortion.” He said unequivocally, “it is necessary to defend life by ensuring that VA or any federal agency does not fund or perform abortions. I expect the Department to continue to follow the law and protect unborn children.”<\/p>\n

READ:<\/strong>\u00a0Military women who abort after being raped must heal from sexual assault first, says veteran<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In June of this year, 137 members of Congress signed<\/a> a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough calling on the VA to continue following the law regarding abortion provision by VA facilities.\u00a0Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs Mike Rost, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meek of Iowa, and Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey co-authored the letter<\/a>, which read in part, “The VA must never use taxpayer dollars to provide abortions or abortion counseling to veterans.\u00a0To do so would be contrary to the God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that generations of veterans fought to defend.”<\/p>\n

Rep. Rosendale commented<\/a>, “The VA should prioritize veterans\u2019 mental health and should assist them with injuries sustained during combat. The right to life is sacred and the VA should be focused on protecting that life, not trying to use taxpayer funds to take it away.”<\/p>\n

Rep. Smith commented<\/a>, “Abortion is not health care, it\u2019s a brutal procedure that harms women and ends the lives of unborn children through suction, dismemberment or chemical poisoning. Current law clearly prevents the Department of Veterans Affairs from paying for abortion, and we expect the Administration to focus instead on providing the true quality health care that veterans have earned and deserve.”<\/p>\n

Abortion provision at VA facilities is not a new topic. Live Action News previously reported<\/a> that advocacy for abortion provision within VA facilities was part of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ stated plans for overhauling the VA. A written goal of Sanders’ plan<\/a> for ‘Honoring Our Commitment to Our Veterans’ was: “Ensure that women veterans will no longer be forced outside the VA system for basic women\u2019s health services, including fertility treatment, abortion care, or specialized cancer treatment and prevention services.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas recently weighed in on the ongoing conversation about whether the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities\u00a0should commit abortions. During a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last week, Sen. Moran made remarks countering repeated misstatements by current VA Secretary Denis McDonough, who has previously called the abortion prohibition a “policy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":635,"featured_media":192423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3473,11],"tags":[19,11730,11723,11728,11590,11727,11722,11725,11729,11726,11724],"yoast_head":"\nU.S. Senator corrects VA Secretary: Federal law prevents VA from committing abortions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"During a hearing last week, Sen. 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