U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville is reportedly looking to shine a light on the Department of Veterans Affairs and create more accountability in its use of taxpayer funding.
The Alabama Republican specifically wants more transparency about abortions performed at the VA, calling it a “disgrace” that the American taxpayer has to foot the bill. He is set to introduce the VA Abortion Transparency Act of 2024, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.
The VA would be required by the measure to provide more details about abortions performed and update with quarterly reports.
“Some of the data required under the legislation would be the number of abortions that the VA facilitated during the quarter, whether it was conducted with medication such as Mifepristone or if it was a surgical abortion, at what week during pregnancy the abortion took place, and the expenditures associated with abortions during the time frame, among other details,” Fox News reported Tuesday.
Tuberville called out the attempt by President Joe Biden’s administration to “twist the law” with the VA.
“Congress has spoken. The Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 clearly prohibits the VA from providing abortion services of any kind,” the member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee told Fox News Digital.
“For the Biden administration to twist the law into something other than what Congress intended and force the cost on the taxpayer is a disgrace,” he added.
“Our veterans deserve a VA that is 100% focused on ensuring they receive timely and quality care, not on implementing Joe Biden’s abortion-on-demand agenda,” Tuberville said. “I am proud to introduce this bill that provides much-needed transparency for taxpayers and holds the VA accountable.”
Tuberville made headlines last year when he held up military promotions to protest the Department of Defense’s policies on abortion, including reimbursing travel expenses for out-of-state abortions.
Pro-life organizations such as CatholicVote, National Right to Life, March for Life Action, Concerned Women for America and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America have approved of the senator’s proposed legislation. Meanwhile, the VA maintains that it cannot comment on the pending bill.
“While VA does not comment on pending legislation, VA is committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive care to women veterans — including basic preventive care, acute care, chronic disease management, mental health care, and reproductive health care,” VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes told Fox News Digital.
According to Military.com:
Under the VA policy, a veteran or covered dependent is eligible for an abortion if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or their life or health is at risk because of the pregnancy.
Of the 88 abortions the VA provided through Sept. 30, 60 were medication abortions and 28 were surgical.
Nine were because the life of the mother was endangered by the pregnancy, and 15 were because the pregnancy was the result of rape. The remaining 64 were because the pregnancy threatened the mother’s health.
The agency has maintained that it is not subject to the Hyde Amendment which bans government-funded abortions with certain exceptions. For the first time in September 2022, the department began offering abortions and told Congress in October 2023 that 88 abortions were performed in the first year. But the agency did not provide more details, citing privacy rights and prompting threats of subpoenas from the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
A Senate resolution to repeal the VA abortion policy last year failed to make it through the chamber.
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Author: Frieda Powers
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