The VA announced its decision to offer abortion counseling and abortions in certain cases last September. Abortions are only provided if the pregnancy endangers the life or health of the veteran or beneficiary or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.
Of the 88 abortions performed through this September, 60 were medication abortions and 28 were surgical, according to the report.
Sixty-four abortions were because the pregnancy threatened the veteran or beneficiary’s health, nine were because the individual’s life was endangered and 15 were because the pregnancy was the result of rape.
“In more than one year of implementing the [interim final rule], there have been fewer than 90 total abortions provided by the VA,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough wrote in the Oct. 11 letter to Congress, cited by Military.com. “During that same period, there have been more than 7,000 [babies delivered] by veterans enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration and covered by VA. As these numbers attest, VA has carefully adhered to the IFR’s strictures.”
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