WASHINGTON (BP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) appears likely to rescind a Biden-era rule promoting abortion services at VA facilities.

In an email to Baptist Press, a VA spokesperson called the Biden administration’s 2022 rule change “politically motivated” and a violation of “longstanding precedent.” The spokesperson also affirmed that any proposed rule change would not outlaw necessary care for pregnant women in life-threatening situations. The Biden administration justified its rule change by claiming it was to prevent death.

The following background information was provided to Baptist Press from the VA spokesperson:

• “In passing the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, Congress mandated that VA is not to provide abortions in most instances.
• “Starting in 1999, VA’s medical benefits package expressly excluded abortions and abortion counseling in most instances.
• “The infrequency with which VA has been performing the procedure since the Biden Administration’s VA abortion mandate was instituted in 2022 has raised safety concerns, contributing to VA leaders’ decision to revert to the department’s longstanding pre-Biden bipartisan policy regarding abortion and abortion counseling.
• “VA’s new policy will not prevent the department from providing care to pregnant women in life-threatening circumstances.”

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) filed comments earlier this week urging the VA to revert back to pre-Biden rules regarding abortion.

On Thursday (Sept. 4), 71 pro-life members of Congress, led by Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, chair of the Senate’s Pro-Life Caucus, issued a letter urging the same.

“Congress mandated the VA adhere to abortion funding restrictions within the Veterans Healthcare Act of 1992, which have been in place for over the last two decades,” the letter said. “Returning VA practices to following the law in 38 CFR 17.38 is the proper course of action for this law-abiding Administration under President Donald J. Trump.”

The pro-life lawmakers echoed the VA spokesperson in assuring that any rule change would not result in a lack of care when women’s lives are at stake.

“… [N]o state law prohibits the performance of an abortion when deemed necessary to save the mother’s life …,” the letter said.

“It has long been recognized that lifesaving care for ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage management do not fall under the definition of abortion. Other potentially life-threatening complications and situations are clearly outlined using reasonable medical judgment. … These heartbreaking circumstances may require the separation of mother and child, but they should never be used under a false light to push the pro-abortion agenda over genuine health care.”

The letter from lawmakers also criticized other aspects of VA abortion practices during the previous administration.

“The abortion training that VA health care providers received imposed a manipulative and dehumanizing approach to engaging with mother-patients about their ‘options’ in handling a pregnancy,” it said. “VA caregivers were instructed to never use the words ‘baby, unborn child,’ or ‘mother.’ Instead, they must use ‘fetus, embryo,’ and ‘pregnancy capable person.’ They were also trained to discuss pregnancy in a dangerous light, framing it as a medical condition that is ‘most certainly not benign’ and describing the impact of pregnancy on chronic health conditions. Further discussion of pregnancy options required providing information that emphasized studies from pro-abortion sources, such as the Guttmacher Institute and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, claiming that abortion is ten times safer than carrying a pregnancy to term. This guidance is dangerously misleading and does not prioritize the health of pregnant veterans.”

In addition to Hyde-Smith, other Senate signatories included U.S. Senators James Lankford, R-Okla.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; John Cornyn, R-Texas; Ted Budd, R-N.C.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Kevin Cramer,R-N.D.; Steve Daines, R-Mont.; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Laura Erlanson is managing editor of Baptist Press.)