Special to the Journal
U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) applauded the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) announcement that it will begin offering abortion services in certain circumstances. In July, Senators Warren and Hirono led 23 of their colleagues to call on VA to immediately begin offering abortion services after the far-right Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Because of the Dobbs decision, over 800,000—or half of women veterans in this country—live in states that are certain or likely to ban abortions.
“As the far-right Supreme Court and right-wing legislators work to eliminate the fundamental right to abortion, the federal government, including the VA, must do more to protect abortion access. That’s why we led our colleagues in calling on the VA to provide abortion care to the veterans it serves, millions of whom now live in states where abortion access has been restricted.
“We’re glad to see the VA quickly heeding our calls to begin offering abortion services in instances of rape, incest, and the life of a mother. This is an important first step. The VA must go further and provide these services to all veterans, regardless of circumstances. It’s critical that women are trusted and free to make decisions about their bodies,” said Senators Warren and Hirono.
In addition to Senators Warren and Hirono, the July 28 letter was also signed by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). As access to abortion care and health care is under attack by the extremist Supreme Court and Republican state legislatures, Senator Warren has called on the government to use every tool to expand and protect reproductive care.