Attorney General Paxton has joined a Mississippi-led letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough challenging a new VA rule that attempts to circumvent state laws that protect the unborn by providing taxpayer dollars for abortions.
On September 9, 2022, the VA adopted a new interim rule that makes taxpayer-funded abortions and abortion counseling available for certain veterans and beneficiaries. Previously, VA regulations expressly excluded these services from the VA medical benefits package. As the letter points out, the VA lacks the legal authority to fund abortions and the rule violates the laws of several states.
The letter highlights Paxton’s commitment, as well as the commitment of allied attorneys general across the country, to defend pro-life laws that prohibit the on-demand abortions that the Biden Administration is seeking to publicly fund: “We will not allow you to use this rule to erect a regime of elective abortions that defy state laws. We stand ready to move decisively against departures from the rule’s terms or its promises. And we will enforce our duly enacted state laws and hold you accountable for violations of federal law. Those who perform abortions based on the interim final rule—and in defiance of state or federal laws—do so at their own risk.”
To read the full letter, click here.