NRL News Today

Sen. Lankford, Colleagues Stand Firmly Against VA  Illegally Providing Abortions

October 13, 2022
NRL News

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) was joined by 12 Republican Senators and 26 members of the House of Representatives to file a public comment letter expressing strong opposition to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) interim final rule (IFR) that illegally allows abortions to be offered by the VA. The Members cite that the rule directly violates the VA’s explicit statutory prohibition on abortion that has governed the VA for 30 years. The letter calls on Secretary of VA Denis McDonough to promptly rescind the rule. 
 
Lankford was joined in sending the letter by Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Mike Braun (R-IN), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Jim Risch (R-ID), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Crapo (R- ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Rick Scott (R-FL). Representative Michael Cloud (R-TX) lead the effort in the House of Representatives.

The Members wrote in their letter, “The VA does not have the power to override an Act of Congress to impose its preferred policy of taxpayer-funded abortion on demand until birth. Tragically, the IFR is the latest in a long string of actions the Biden Administration has taken to promote the killing of unborn children through abortion in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. We demand that you immediately rescind the IFR and revert the VA’s policies to the long-standing prior regulation excluding abortion and abortion counseling from the VA’s medical benefits package as well as the CHAMPVA program, in conformity with the law and congressional intent.”

Lankford remains the leading pro-life voice in the Senate to stand up against the Biden Administration’s obsession with abortion, especially after the Supreme Court’s ruling to return decisions about abortions to the people’s elected representatives. After the initial reports about the IFR in August, Lankford immediately began his effort to challenge the VA providing abortions. The latest episode of Lankford’s podcast, The Breakdown with James Lankford, was a conversation about the pro-abortion lobby spreading false rumors about miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and what that means for the future of women’s health.

Issues