The United States church leaders have spoken out against a new bill that would include abortion in the health benefits provided to the community following the Senate's decision to revoke the newly implemented regulation.
New Abortion Health Benefits
Angelus reported that the new rule extending abortion to veterans' and their dependents' health benefits, which was put into effect by the Biden administration in 2022 following the United States Supreme Court's reversal of its previous precedent identifying access to abortion to be a constitutional right, enable the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide counseling about abortion and to execute some abortions under specific circumstances. The U.S. regulation is in effect despite the state law in each state.
Some people opposed to abortion have criticized Vice President Joe Biden's track record. They pointed out that the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, which prohibited the Veterans Administration from providing abortions, was passed by the United States Senate unanimously when Biden served as a senator from Delaware.
Overturning the New Abortion Health Benefits
A report from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stated that the Congressional Review Act legislation aimed at invalidating a provisional final regulation issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that includes abortion to veterans' and dependents' health insurance packages was revoked by a vote of 51 to 48 in the United States Senate on Wednesday, Apr. 18. The vote was taken to reject the resolution.
According to the Catholic News Agency, on Thursday, Apr. 19, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB, and Bishop Michael Burbidge, chair of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said in a joint statement that "Our heroes and their dependents deserve quality health care services instead of policies to end the lives of their children."
The bishops have argued that it is "inhumane" to hand out taxpayer-funded abortion as a remedy for childbirth rather than the means required to welcome a child and grow as a family.
As mentioned, they will continue to press Congress to avoid adopting this detrimental legislation. Instead, they will encourage Congress to give genuine support for the service veterans and those who care about them.
On Sept. 21, 2022, the Bishops' Conference provided feedback on modifying the VA regulation. The remark noted that the VA policy to carry out abortions when the "life or health" of a pregnant woman is threatened allows abortions to be performed throughout the entire nine months of maternity.
The clergy members brought up another point: Congress has not allowed the VA to allow voluntary abortions in its policies.
"But even if it had, such a practice would be poor public policy because it involves the intentional killing of unborn children and harm to women who undergo the abortion procedure," they noted.
Accordingly, the bishops also discussed the significance of enhancing the quality of medical care provided to veterans. As mentioned, soldiers encounter insurmountable obstacles in life, mainly because active-duty service frequently results in significant mental health traumas and can be coupled with a challenging shift to life as civilians.
The new VA policy may be challenged in court. According to Politico, the Hyde Amendment prohibits the government's support of abortions to cover only those involving sexual assault, incest, or a maternal mortality risk. The Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 bans abortion for military personnel or retirees.
Related Article:Religious Leader Argue Over Abortion Rights Following Missouri's Ban
