1. United States
2. Ala.
3. Letter

This new policy allowing VA doctors to refuse treatment to veterans based on personal characteristics like political affiliation or marital status is deeply concerning and unethical. Healthcare professionals have a duty to provide care without discrimination, and these rules open the door to veterans potentially being denied vital medical services over ideological differences or other irrelevant factors. This threatens to undermine the core mission of the VA healthcare system to serve all veterans equally. Enabling doctors to turn away patients based on protected personal traits like political views sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to wider discrimination and barriers to care. Veterans, who have served their country, should never face the risk of being denied medical treatment due to their personal beliefs or circumstances unrelated to their healthcare needs. I urge you to take action to rescind these discriminatory policies immediately. The VA must uphold its commitment to providing comprehensive care to all veterans, regardless of their background or personal characteristics. Allowing personal biases to interfere with the doctor-patient relationship violates medical ethics and could put veterans' health and wellbeing at risk. Our nation's heroes deserve fair and equal access to the high-quality care they were promised.