Eighty-Six Representatives Led by Doug Lamborn Call for Protection of Hyde Amendment

The Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayers from directly funding abortion, is under threat. A group of 86 Republicans, led by Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., are calling on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other Democrat leaders to honor the long-standing agreement that protects the consciences of pro-life Americans.

In an open letter, Lamborn wrote, “I write you today deeply concerned by the recent rhetoric and policy directives coming from leadership in your party. This troubling language seems aimed at abdicating the responsibility we have to protect and defend the sanctity of human life, specifically unborn life.

“In a December hearing on the Hyde amendment, Chairwoman DeLauro stated this: ‘While the Labor, HHS, Education bill has carried the Hyde amendment every year since 1976 this is the last year.’ This is deeply disturbing.”

The Hyde Amendment is something of a gentleman’s agreement, a provision that “prohibits using Medicaid money to pay for abortions except in a limited set of cases, including rape, incest and danger to life of the mother.” In addition to Medicaid, it has been incorporated into other spending bills that affect other departments and Obamacare. The amendment itself is not legally binding, as it must be voted on and included every year in various appropriations bills.

But as Democrats have gained control over the House, the White House and hold a potential one vote majority in the Senate, efforts to revoke the Hyde Amendment have gained steam. If this happens, all American taxpayers will be paying for abortions.

As Lamborn explains, “The Hyde amendment has protected nearly 2.5 million lives since its first inclusion in an appropriations bill in 1976. Democrat majorities in Congress were instrumental in the first passage of the amendment, as 295 Democrats in the House and Senate supported the measure. The majority of the American people are still largely in favor of this amendment. A 2020 Marist poll found that 60 percent of Americans, including 37 percent of people who identify themselves as pro-choice, oppose taxpayer funding of abortion. As further evidence of American support for the Hyde amendment, a vast majority of states also have a policy to prohibit taxpayer funding for abortion. Against the will of a majority of American people, the Democrat Party has made the amendment’s repeal a top plank in their platform.

“We cannot and will not allow this to stand.

“You are abandoning all protection for the unborn, and instead by removing the amendment you are coercing taxpayers to use their hard-earned dollars to fund abortions.”

This is incredibly true.

Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee, has shared with The Daily Citizen about how she pressured young women to get an abortion after a test confirmed their pregnancy. In addition, she has also alleged that the Medicaid reimbursement system had been used by Planned Parenthood for financial gain. If abortions were covered by Medicaid, there’s no doubt that the abortion industry’s coercive and aggressive tactics towards women considering abortion would grow.

Americans also remain deeply divided on the issue of life, with the latest Gallup Poll showing that 46% consider themselves pro-life while 48% consider themselves pro-choice. Those numbers have changed quite a lot. In 1995, 56% of Americans considered themselves pro-choice while only 33% were pro-life.

Abortion is not a settled issue in the United States, in fact, it’s perhaps becoming more contentious between the two sides. At this point, the Hyde Amendment should be honored and should be the policy moving forward.

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