U.S. Army veteran Alexia Moore was booked on suspicion of murder this month for allegedly taking misoprostol to manage an abortion in Georgia, which doesn’t allow the termination of a pregnancy after six weeks. Moore, 31, is among the millions of veterans who raised their right hand and swore to defend the United States of America. She made one of the most profound commitments a person can make: to put her life on the line for this country. And though her country promised to take care of her, she may end up in jail instead. 

What is happening to Moore is tragic. Instead of being criminalized for allegedly obtaining and taking medication abortion pills, she should have been able to go to her local VA clinic to get the counseling, information and health care she needed and deserved.

 But in December, the Department of Veterans Affairs issued a rule that eliminates abortion care and counseling from the VA’s medical benefits package. Veterans whose health is endangered by carrying a pregnancy to term don’t have coverage. Veterans who become pregnant through rape or incest don’t have coverage. Every veteran across the U.S. no longer has access to abortion counseling from their VA provider. The impact is exacerbated in states where abortion is already banned, as it is in Georgia, because now those seeking an abortion must travel out of state — away from their family and community — to get the care they need. The same restrictions apply to family members covered through CHAMPVA, the civilian health program for dependents of veterans and their surviving family members. This is an abandonment of the people we promised to protect.

Wednesday evening, a proposal from Senate Democrats to reverse the VA’s new abortion ban for veterans and their dependents failed 48-50.

To understand the gravity of this change, it helps to know what it took to get here. For decades, abortion access for service members and veterans was inconsistent at best and nonexistent at worst. In 2022, the VA determined that abortions should, at minimum, be available when a veteran’s life or health is at risk, or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest, and that abortion counseling is essential to informed decision-making. That rule brought the VA in line with the standard of care expected by every major medical organization in the country.

Now that progress has been reversed because of political ideology. The new abortion ban didn’t follow a finding that such care is no longer medically necessary. Nor is it the result of new clinical evidence. Instead, the new rule leans on legally questionable interpretations and vague references to taxpayer preferences, while ignoring that in spring 2025, 63% of Americans said abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Congress established that medical necessity — not political ideology — should be the standard by which the VA provides care. December’s rule change ignores that standard entirely.

The numbers tell a stark story. There are more than 2 million women veterans in the United States, and roughly half of those who use the VA for health care are of childbearing age. More than 43% belong to a racial or ethnic minority group, meaning a policy further restricting abortion services at the VA will fall disproportionately on communities that already face barriers to care. CHAMPVA enrollment has surged more than 600% since 2001, expanding the universe of families who will be harmed.

The real-world impact is already being felt. At the Brigid Alliance, which provides logistical support for those who must travel long distances for abortion care, 8% of our clients in 2025 were veterans, military or family members — people navigating a maze of confusion from conflicting state laws, shifting VA guidance and the sheer logistical burden of traveling across state lines while managing military obligations or service-connected disabilities. 

Despite the failure to change the rule in the Senate on Wednesday, it’s still imperative that the VA withdraw this rule and preserve the protections established in 2022. Medical decisions should be made by patients and their doctors, not by politicians or political appointees. The VA must also issue clear, consistent guidance so veterans and their families know what care is available and how to access it. Confusion itself is a barrier to care.

Organizations like the Brigid Alliance will continue to help people access the care they need, no matter where they live. We provide assistance with travel, lodging, child care and more so that no one’s access to care is determined by their ZIP code or military status.

But practical support organizations should not have to fill the gap left by a broken government promise. The people who serve this country are willing to sacrifice everything for us. The least we can do is ensure they have access to the full spectrum of health care they need — including reproductive care. That is not a partisan issue. It is a matter of keeping our word. 

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