The Office of Legal Counsel issued a memo that overturned previous guidance.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) determined that Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors will no longer be allowed to provide abortions or abortion counseling. The decision does not include pregnancies where the mother’s life is threatened and “does not bar care necessary to save a veteran’s life when the veteran’s clinician determines that care is necessary.”
In 2022, the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) advised that federal law permitted the VA to provide abortion services. Recently, OLC Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock released a memo that concluded that the 2022 decision did not accurately interpret federal law.
In the memo, Deputy Assistant AG Craddock wrote, “The statute before us unambiguously commands that VA may not provide abortions when furnishing medical care under 38 U.S.C. § 1710 or any other provision in chapter 17 of title 38.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Deputy Assistant Craddock to seek God’s wisdom as he oversees the interpretation of federal law.
- For Justice Department officials to be prudent while they revisit previous determinations.
- For officials in the VA as the department updates the care provided for pregnant women.
Sources: Justice Department, Life News, The Hill
