AG Rayfield Fights to Restore Reproductive Health Care for Veterans

Attorney General Dan Rayfield is urging a federal appeals court to restore reproductive health care for veterans and their families. The Trump Administration's new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rule takes abortion care away from about 90% of the people who qualified for it previously-including women whose pregnancies put their health at risk.

"Veterans and their families put everything on the line to serve this country. No veteran should have to wonder what will happen if a pregnancy turns dangerous," said Attorney General Rayfield. "This rule takes care away from the people who need it most and leaves doctors second-guessing themselves in an emergency."

The case, Minority Veterans of America v. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, challenges the VA rule that bans abortion care in nearly all situations. AG Rayfield and 22 attorneys general filed a friend-of-the-court (amicus) brief, arguing that the rule puts veterans' health at risk, leaves doctors unsure whether they can act in an emergency, and pushes the cost of care onto state health care systems.

In 2022, the VA began allowing abortion care for veterans, their survivors, and dependents when a pregnancy threatened the patient's health, or in cases of rape or incest. VA doctors could also talk with patients about abortion as an option. In December 2025, the Trump Administration reversed those protections.

The implementation statistics of the 2022 policy proved why it was so necessary. In its first year, 73% of patients who received abortion care through the VA had pregnancies that threatened their health, 17% were survivors of rape, and 10% faced pregnancies that threatened their lives. Under the new Trump rule, these Veterans would no longer receive the abortion care they need.

Last year, a coalition of attorneys general raised concerns directly with the VA and the White House Office of Management and Budget, submitting a detailed comment letter in September 2025. The VA finalized the rule without changes.

In the brief, the attorneys general argue the rule:

• Puts veterans' health and finances at risk. Veterans face higher rates of pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, high blood pressure, and gestational diabetes. Getting care outside the VA isn't realistic for many: 43% of women of reproductive age don't have enough savings to cover the typical $563 cost of a medication abortion.
• Leaves doctors guessing in emergencies. The rule spells out that certain family members and survivors can still get life-saving abortion care, but it doesn't say the same for veterans themselves. That gap could lead doctors to delay emergency treatment out of fear of losing their license or facing jail time. Since the end of Roe v. Wade, at least seven deaths have been documented where interference with emergency care played a role.
• Is stricter than most state abortion bans. The rule also breaks from federal emergency care law, which requires hospitals to stabilize pregnant patients facing serious medical emergencies.
• Keeps patients in the dark. VA doctors can no longer discuss abortion as a medical option, so veterans lose the information they need to make their own health care decisions - and the trust between patient and doctor suffers.
• Shifts costs to states. When the VA won't provide care, veterans turn to state Medicaid programs, like the Oregon Health Plan, and other safety-net services that are already stretched thin.

Attorney General Rayfield filed the brief alongside the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.