Dexter Helps Introduce Legislation to Block Trump’s Attack on Veterans’ Access to Reproductive Health Care

PORTLAND, OR — Today, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03), a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and one of six pro-choice physicians in Congress, introduced the Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act, alongside Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26), in response to the Trump administration’s newly proposed rule to reinstate the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) near total abortion ban, including in cases of rape or incest. The legislation comes in addition to a letter Dexter led with 130 House Democrats urging the VA to protect access to reproductive health care for veterans.  

“As a physician, I trained at the VA, where a sign at the entrance read: ‘The price of freedom is visible here.’ Our veterans sacrificed everything for this country, and in return, we promised them the best care possible,” said Congresswoman Dexter, M.D. “For Trump to reinstate a complete ban on abortion care and counseling at the VA—even in cases of rape, incest—is an utter betrayal of that promise. I won’t back down from the fight to protect our veterans’ right to abortion with my friend, Representative Brownley. Not now—not ever.” 

In September 2022, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the VA used its rulemaking authority to ensure VA health care providers can offer abortion counseling and abortion services in cases of rape, incest, and the life and health of the veteran. This Biden-era policy survived legal challenges and was finalized in March 2023. 

This week, Trump issued a rule to repeal the 2022 policy. If implemented, the rule would once again make the VA the only major federal health provider with such an extreme restriction. 

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