Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday enacted a nearly total ban on performing abortions for veterans and their families, including in cases of rape or incest.
The ban came in the form of an internal department memo reflecting recent Department of Justice legal guidance that concluded that federal law does not allow the VA to broadly provide abortion services.
The ban reverses a Biden-era policy from 2022 intended to ensure veterans and their dependents could access abortion services in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down national reproductive rights.
It also effectively accelerates the outcome of a rules change proposed by the Trump administration in August that would revoke most abortion access at VA facilities.
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