"Extremely disturbing": New VA rules allow doctors to refuse treating Democrats and unmarried veterans.

Question

‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans | Trump administration | The Guardian www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Answer 1

This article on theguardian.com written by Aaron Glantz on June 16, 2025. The statements are controversial and should be further clarified by officials.
The statement “Language requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans regardless of their politics and marital status has been explicitly eliminated” seems to be true as Senator Murray confirms (Source).
Dr Kenneth Kizer ‘s statement has not been confirmed by any trustworthy sources.

"In making the changes, VA officials cite the president’s 30 January executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government'." The original order date is January 20 despite of correct title and existence (source).

White House deputy press Secretary Anna Kelly and The VA denied The Guardian’s reporting on social media platform X (source)

Conclusion: As of June 18, 2025, we do not have enough info to confirm or deny the news.

Comments

I like this response. You were able to include a direct quote from the article to help bring about more clarity. I also like the fact that you included multiple links to further back up your point and enhance the readers understanding. The only difference I'd make however is I would issue the conclusion made, at the very beginning of the answer response so readers know the diagnosis of the statement straight away.

Answer 2

The claim that "The VA allows doctors to refuse to treat Democrats [and] unmarried veterans" appears to be true. This article claims that the inclusion of categories such as "national origin", "politics", and "marital status" is not required of all VA  bylaws. This claim is backed up by the Palo Alto VA Health Care System's bylaws, which do not include these three categories as a basis on which medical staff are prohibited from refusing service. Their list of restricted categories includes "any legally protected status, including legally protected status such as race, color, religion, sex, or prior protected activity in any employment matter or in providing benefits under any law administered by VA." in section 3.03 of its code of conduct on page 9.

Source: https://www.va.gov/files/2025-04/MEDICAL%20BYLAWS_April%202025%20-%20Final.pdf