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House Majority Votes to Restrict Access to Abortion for Veterans

For Immediate Release: July 27, 2023


Washington, D.C. — Today, the slim anti-abortion rights majority in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA), and Related Agencies bill, which includes attacks on abortion access for veterans and their families. The bill would overturn a critical rule allowing the VA to provide veterans and their dependents access to abortion in cases of rape, incest, or pregnancies that threaten the life or health of the pregnant person. In addition, the rule allows VA clinics to provide them with comprehensive information about options regarding their pregnancies. Before this rule was adopted, the VA was barred from providing any abortion care or counseling, without exception. 

The bill would also attach a new Hyde Amendment rider that would ban coverage for abortions through the VA with narrow exceptions, and would attack gender-affirming care for veterans and their families. 

Members were given a chance on the floor to vote in support of stripping out the abortion restrictions, and the anti-abortion majority blocked that effort in a party-line vote.

Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, called them out for their reckless votes: 

“Anti-abortion politicians are shameless and out of touch with the people they represent. Using a bill meant to support our veterans as a tool to restrict their access to health care is disgraceful. Our veterans and their families deserve better.” 

Read more about the many attacks on sexual and reproductive health care throughout the 2024 House appropriations bills here.    

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Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy, and limited electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education. 

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