Indra,
Under the Trump administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs recently imposed new guidelines that will allow doctors, psychologists, social workers, and other healthcare workers to discriminate against veterans based on whether they are unmarried, divorced, participate in a union, or are Democrats.
The VA's integrated hospital system is the largest in the US. It accounts for upwards of 1,000 clinics and 170 hospitals, and with approximately 26,000 doctors and 9 million patients in its system.
Previous bylaws within the VA's integrated hospital system had prohibited discrimination on the basis of not only race, sex, age, color, religion, and disability, but also on the basis of politics, marital status, and national origin. Now, protections for the latter three categories have been removed. This is horrifying and could have far-reaching — and chilling — consequences.
Dr. Kenneth Kizer, the former Undersecretary for Health with the VA, explained that these new rules: "seem to open the door to discrimination on the basis of anything that is not legally protected." He worries that now, medical staff could potentially refuse treatment for veterans based on a wide range of other criteria too, such as if are seeking care after a sexual assault.
Veterans and members of the military risk their lives for their country, often resulting in serious consequences such as PTSD, injuries, or chronic health conditions. Is this how Trump will repay them?
Veterans deserve better! Sign the petition to demand that Secretary Douglas A. Collins, head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, reverse these changes and reinstate protections against discrimination!
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