The Department of Veterans Affairs will allow workers with religious objections to abortion services to opt out of such work, a public interest law firm disclosed Monday.
First Liberty Institute said the VA will offer the exemption nationwide, seven months after Stephanie Carter, a nurse practitioner at Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Center in Temple, Texas, sued over the issue.
The lawsuit, filed in December in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, has been withdrawn following the exemption change, First Liberty said.
“We’re pleased that the VA implemented a nationwide policy to protect the religious liberty rights of all VA employees,” Danielle Runyan, a First Liberty senior counsel, said in a statement.
“Stephanie Carter is living proudly by her faith and should not be forced to choose between her faith and her career. Because of her courage, every VA employee in the nation can now seek a religious accommodation from participating in a procedure they find unconscionable,” Ms. Runyan said.
A VA spokesman told The Washington Times that the department “has no comment on this litigation.”
SEE ALSO: Texas nurse sues VA over abortion provision rule, wants religious exemption
The VA published in September published an “interim final rule” in the Federal Register allowing the agency to provide access to abortion counseling and provide abortions “in certain cases” to veterans and VA beneficiaries. Those cases included “when the life or health” of the mother was endangered, or if a pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.
The rule took effect 30 days after publication, the VA said.
“We came to this decision after listening to VA health care providers and Veterans across the country, who sounded the alarm that abortion restrictions are creating a medical emergency for those we serve. Offering this care will save veterans’ health and lives, and there is nothing more important than that,” Dr. Shereef Elnahal, VA undersecretary for health, said at the time.
The change created a dilemma for Ms. Carter, who is described in her lawsuit as “an Army veteran herself, and as a Christian who views her nursing work as a calling.” She “initially requested a religious accommodation, but was told by her supervisor that there was no process in place for the VA to consider her requests,” the suit states.
Ms. Carter said she feared potential felony prosecution under Texas law, which bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually about six weeks of pregnancy. She said she could be subject to the loss of her nursing license and “steep civil penalties” in Texas if she followed the 2022 VA rules.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.
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