Today, on September 4th, 2025, 22 governors – including Governor Andy Beshear (KY), Governor Tony Evers (WI), Governor Bob Ferguson (WA), Governor Maura Healey (MA), Governor Katie Hobbs (AZ), Governor Kathy Hochul (NY), Governor Laura Kelly (KS) [Non-RFA Member], Governor Tina Kotek (OR), Governor Ned Lamont (CT), Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero (GU), Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM), Governor Dan McKee (RI), Governor Matt Meyer (DE), Governor Janet Mills (ME), Governor Wes Moore (MD), Governor Phil Murphy (NJ), Governor Gavin Newsom (CA), Governor Jared Polis (CO), Governor JB Pritzker (IL), Governor Josh Shapiro (PA), Governor Josh Stein (NC), and Governor Gretchen Whitmer (MI) – sent a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opposing a proposed rule that would strip veterans of the already limited access to abortion they have now in cases of rape, incest, and threats to health. The new proposed rule threatens the health and well-being of those who served our country by further limiting access only to cases where the patient’s life is threatened. The rule’s ambiguity between the VA’s medical benefits package and theCHAMPVA program further creates confusion and the potential for patient harm. It also eliminates access to counseling entirely.
If adopted, this rule change will limit access to care for the nearly 400,000 women veterans of reproductive age in Reproductive Freedom Alliance states and put physicians and providers in legally perilous positions, forcing them to weigh the risk of liability against the urgent medical needs of their patients. This uncertainty could result in dangerous delays, denial of care, and worse health outcomes for veterans and their families.
Blocking veterans from receiving abortion care from their trusted provider is indefensible. It breaks the VA’s promise to deliver safe, comprehensive medical care to those who served. The Reproductive Freedom Alliance will continue working to ensure veterans and their families can access the full range of reproductive health care.
“This dangerous rule restricts veterans from receiving the timely, trusted medical care they deserve. It creates unnecessary barriers that threaten providers and put patient care at risk, while undermining the very core of the VA’s mission. Actions such as these by the Trump-Vance Administration reinforce why it is so critical for states to continue protecting and defending reproductive rights,” said Christina Chang, Executive Director of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance.