[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDoctors for AmericaPO Box: 211612300 18th St NW LbbyWashington, DC 20009-9996January 6, 2026

Veterans Deserve Care, Not Politics: Physicians Speak Out Against VA Abortion Ban

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Doctors for America (DFA) strongly opposes the Department of Justice–directed policy ending abortion care within the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system, including in cases of rape, incest, or serious threats to a patient’s health. For veterans living in restrictive abortion policy states, this ban has officially closed the door for thousands of veterans across the country, risking the lives of those who gave up their own for American freedom. The policy took effect quietly in late December 2025 following a Department of Justice opinion, without public notice to veterans and physicians. This policy represents a dangerous departure from evidence-based medical practice and undermines the VA’s mission to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care to veterans and their families. Immediate action is needed to restore full reproductive care for veterans.Abortion is a medically indicated component of comprehensive reproductive health care. Restricting it undermines the patient-provider relationship, disregards clinical judgment, and jeopardizes health outcomes. So-called “life-saving” exceptions are incompatible with real-world medicine, where clinicians cannot predict when a pregnancy complication will become life-threatening. Policies that force physicians to delay care until patients are critically ill increase the risk of severe complications and death, violating the fundamental medical ethic to do no harm.Women are the fastest-growing population of veterans in the United States, and hundreds of thousands of women veterans live in states with total abortion bans or severe restrictions. For many, VA facilities represent the only affordable or accessible source of care. This policy also affects more than 700,000 family members who rely on the VA for health services. Veterans in rural communities face especially steep travel and logistical barriers, further forcing delays in time-sensitive care.Veterans experience higher rates of medical conditions that increase pregnancy-related risk, including hypertension (42%), elevated cholesterol (39%), chronic pain (35%) and diabetes (16%). Additionally, one in three women veterans reports military sexual trauma and many live with post-traumatic stress disorder. Denying abortion care in cases of rape, incest, or serious threats to health is not only medically unsound - it is ethically indefensible.Restricting abortion care within the VA also fragments care, undermining the VA’s core mission to provide integrated, patient-centered health services. Forcing veterans to seek care outside the VA disrupts continuity of care, increases medical risk, and places additional strain on patients with complex medical and mental health needs. Such policies also contribute to clinician moral injury and threaten the VA’s ability to recruit and retain qualified medical professionals.While recently the VA expanded access to IVF and additional proposed policies seek to further expand fertility support for veterans, restrictions on abortion care undermine these goals. Veterans face higher rates of pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and Cesarean delivery, as well as higher prevalence of PTSD and other conditions that increase maternal and infant risk. Limiting access to timely, evidence-based reproductive care can increase the likelihood of unsafe or complicated pregnancies, with potential impacts on reproductive health and the ability to safely pursue future family-building or fertility treatments.“As a nation, we have an obligation to ensure that our veterans, who have bravely served and sacrificed for our country, receive the highest standard of healthcare, including comprehensive reproductive services. As physicians, and particularly OBGYNs, we have an obligation to ensure that our patients receive evidence-based care that is free of political restrictions,” said Dr. Anita Somani, OBGYN Physician and Ohio State Representative. Dr. Somani continued: “Abortion access has broad support across party lines (63% of Americans), yet restrictions continue to put patients at risk. Serious complications and deaths related to pregnancy, including women being forced to carry nonviable pregnancies, have been happening across the country for years—even before the Dobbs decision. The difference now is that timely access to abortion care is no longer guaranteed. We must restore support for veterans and other patients navigating reproductive care, because as physicians, we have an obligation to do no harm.” Doctors for America stands with veterans and all people seeking reproductive health care. We call on the Department of Veterans Affairs and federal leaders to immediately restore abortion care within the VA, including in cases of rape, incest, and threats to a patient’s health, and to ensure that clinical decisions remain between patients and their clinicians, free from political interference.

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About Doctors for AmericaDoctors for America (DFA) is a national nonprofit that mobilizes over 40,000 physicians and medical trainees to advocate for policies that improve the health of patients and communities. Through advocacy training and action at the state and federal levels, DFA works to expand access to affordable care, strengthen community health and prevention efforts, and advance health justice and equity. We do not accept funding from pharmaceutical, insurance, or for-profit health care entities, ensuring our work remains fiercely independent and patient-centered. DFA puts patients over politics—and over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and Bluesky drsforamerica.bsky.social.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]