The battle for the soul of America continues on multiple fronts, and this week brought encouraging news for faithful Catholics and all Americans who refuse to see their tax dollars fund the destruction of human life.
The Trump administration’s proposal to rescind the Biden-era policy forcing taxpayers to subsidize veterans’ abortions represents more than a policy shift — it signals a restoration of moral order that has been decades in the making.
For over twenty years, Republican and Democratic administrations alike recognized a fundamental truth: abortion is not a “needed” medical service that veterans’ benefits should cover. This wasn’t mere political calculation — it reflected an understanding rooted in natural law that government should not compel citizens to participate in the taking of innocent life, even indirectly through their tax contributions.
Then came the Biden administration’s radical overreach in 2022. Seizing on the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision as political opportunity rather than moral awakening, Biden’s bureaucrats decided to redefine decades of established policy. They predicted a surge in demand for VA-funded abortions that, tellingly, never materialized. Perhaps even some of our veterans recognized the moral contradiction in a nation honoring those who served by funding the destruction of its most vulnerable citizens.
The Catholic Teaching on State-Sanctioned Evil
As Catholics, we must understand why this issue transcends mere policy preferences. Pope St. Pius X, in his 1906 encyclical Vehementer Nos, condemned the “pernicious error” of a separation between Church and state that permits government to facilitate moral evils. The state need not be Catholic, but it cannot be neutral toward fundamental questions of life and death.
The Catechism also teaches unambiguously that abortion constitutes the taking of innocent human life (CCC 2270-2275). When government not only permits but actively funds such acts, it crosses from toleration into participation. Scripture reminds us that God knew us before we were formed in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16)—a truth that should inform how we structure our laws and allocate our public resources.
This isn’t about imposing Catholic teaching through law, but about recognizing that natural law principles underlying our Constitution demand protection for innocent life. The founders understood that rights come from our Creator, not government — and that includes the most fundamental right of all.
Constitutional Clarity Amid Cultural Confusion
The Department of Veterans Affairs spoke directly in its proposed rule, calling the Biden policy “legally questionable” and inconsistent with federal precedent. This represents constitutional sanity reasserting itself after four years of progressive overreach.
Religious liberty advocates have long argued that forced taxpayer funding of abortion violates the First Amendment’s protection of conscience rights. When government compels citizens to financially support practices that violate their deepest moral convictions, it crosses constitutional lines that our Founders drew for good reason.
The proposed VA rule also addresses the deliberate misinformation campaign surrounding this issue. Abortion advocates have falsely claimed that rescinding the Biden policy would prevent women from receiving life-saving care during ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages. This is simply untrue — and the VA explicitly clarifies that genuine medical emergencies will continue to receive appropriate treatment under existing protocols.
The Stakes for Western Civilization
What we’re witnessing extends far beyond healthcare policy. This represents a clash between worldviews — one that recognizes the sacred dignity of every human life, and another that subordinates human dignity to individual preference and political convenience.
For decades, secular progressive have advanced an agenda that treats abortion as a sacrament of their materialist faith. They’ve captured institutions, manipulated language, and attempted to normalize what previous generations of Americans — regardless of religious affiliation — recognized as gravely wrong.
The restoration of traditional policy regarding VA abortion funding signals that this cultural revolution isn’t inevitable. When principled leaders stand firm on fundamental moral questions, the tide can turn. This gives hope not just for policy victories, but for the broader project of rebuilding American civilization on its proper foundation.
True Obligation of ‘A Grateful Nation’
The proposed rule concludes with language that should resonate with every American: restoring the VA “to its proper role as the United States’ provider of needed medical services to those who served, delivered on behalf of a grateful nation.” This captures something essential about how we honor our veterans and ourselves.
True gratitude toward those who served doesn’t require abandoning moral principles that made their service meaningful in the first place. Our veterans didn’t sacrifice to defend a nation that casually discards innocent life. They served a republic founded on the proposition that all people are created equal and endowed by their Creator with an inalienable right to life.
When we fund abortion through veterans’ benefits, we honor neither our veterans nor the principles they defended. We create a moral contradiction that undermines the very foundations of the society they served to protect.
The Path Forward for Faithful Citizens
Americans have until September 3 to comment on this proposed rule change. This presents an opportunity for faithful Catholics and all people of conscience to make their voices heard in support of policies that respect life and religious freedom.
Visit the Federal Register and submit comments supporting the VA’s proposal to end taxpayer-funded abortions for veterans. [You can submit comments at this link.] Contact your representatives and demand they support this restoration of moral sanity in federal policy. Most importantly, continue building the culture of life in your families and communities that makes such policy victories possible.
The broader lesson here extends beyond any single policy fight. When faithful Catholics engage actively in the political process — informed by Church teaching and committed to the common good — we can advance the Kingdom of God even through secular institutions. This doesn’t require perfect politicians or policies, but it does demand our active participation as citizens who recognize that faith and politics cannot be separated into tidy compartments.
We must serve not only our country but our God, who is the ultimate source of all legitimate authority and the final Judge of how we use the freedoms He has entrusted to our care.
