Democrat members of Congress have introduced legislation that would end the Hyde Amendment and permit taxpayer funding for abortions.
The Hyde Amendment, attached to the appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services, prevents the use of federal taxpayer funding for elective abortions—or health insurance plans that cover abortions. Exceptions are made for victims of rape or incest, or cases where there is risk of maternal mortality.
Supporters of the Hyde Amendment say it protects the right to conscience for taxpayers, protecting them from funding something that may violate their religious beliefs. Opponents say that the bill restricts access to abortion for women who obtain their health insurance through the government.
The bill to get rid of the Hyde Amendment was introduced by Reps. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Diana DeGette, D-Colo., on Wednesday.
“Each and every day, the rights of women are under attack in America,” Lee said in a statement:
“Today, we push back because every person has a right to health care. The EACH Woman Act is a bold and groundbreaking step forward. This legislation would ensure that every woman can access ALL of her health care options, regardless of how much money she earns or where she lives. Regardless of how someone personally feels about abortion, none of us, especially elected officials, should be interfering with a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions just because she is poor.”
Sarah Torre, a policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal that she believes the Hyde Amendment is a common sense protection for both women and taxpayers.
“The common sense and—until very recently—uncontroversial Hyde language has been attached to every federal appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services since 1976,” Torre said. “Unlike most policies in Washington, this long-standing policy preventing taxpayer funding for abortion is widely supported by the American people and has won approval on both sides of the aisle for nearly 40 years. This policy rightly ensures that taxpayers aren’t forced to fund abortions, which harm women and take the lives of unborn children.”
An opposite bill, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which would make sure that no federal funds would be used to provide abortions or health benefit plans that cover abortions, was introduced in January.
