Senator Murray Slams Republicans for Voting to Uphold Trump’s Extreme VA Abortion Ban

ICYMI FROM AUGUST: Senator Murray's Statement on Trump Ripping Away Access to Abortion Care for Women Veterans Who Were Raped or Whose Health is in Danger

ICYMI FROM DECEMBER: Senator Murray's Statement on Trump Administration Quietly Banning Abortion Care for Veterans & Families

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, released the following statement slamming Republicans for voting to uphold the Trump administration's near-total abortion ban at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

"Today's vote was about protecting one of the most basic freedoms for people who risked their lives to protect all of our freedoms-it was about making sure veterans who are survivors of rape or incest are able to get abortion care," said Senator Murray. "But today Republicans sent a clear message that they don't care if your health is in danger, if you're a veteran, or if you've been raped-they want abortion outlawed everywhere, in every circumstance, for everyone. That is completely unacceptable and I will keep fighting to restore abortion care to our veterans and every woman in America."

In December 2025, the Trump administration instituted a near-total ban on abortion care at VA, with only an exception for care when "a physician certifies that the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term" with no exceptions for the health of the veteran or for rape or incest. The policy impacts women enrolled in VA Care-including women veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries. It also bans VA providers from even discussing abortion with their patients. There are more than 462,000 women veterans of reproductive age who are enrolled in VA health care, and approximately 232,000 of them live in states that have enacted abortion bans or restrictions.

Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee-and advocating for women veterans and their access to reproductive health care has been a longtime focus for Senator Murray. Senator Murray called on VA to provide abortion care to veterans early in the Biden administration, and she applauded the Biden administration's announcement later in the year that would begin to provide abortion care for veterans and their eligible dependents to protect the health and life of the individual and in cases of rape or incest. Murray has helped lead the charge in calling out Republicans for their attacks on, and attempts to undo, this limited and commonsense policy. Senator Murray also leads the Veteran Families Health Services Act, comprehensive legislation that would expand fertility treatments-including IVF-and family-building services for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance, and she has sought unanimous consent to pass the legislation on multiple occasions. She introduced new legislation last summer with Senator Duckworth to help cover IVF costs for servicemembers and military families-and slammed Speaker Johnson for working behind the scenes to strip an amendment mirroring that legislation from the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. Senator Murray voted against the NDAA earlier this month, citing-among other things-the failure to include her provision to expand IVF care for servicemembers and veterans. Senator Murray slammed the Trump administration's initial move to ban abortion care at VA in August, and sounded the alarm again in December when the Trump administration quietly implemented a near-total abortion ban at VA.

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