New Legislation Introduced to Challenge Hyde Amendment

In order to dismantle the Hyde Amendment, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Barbara Lee are planning to introduce the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance or EACH Act in Congress. If passed, this legislation would fulfill the goal of pro-abortion activists, who want to require all Americans to fund abortions, regardless of any moral objections.

In a call to reporters on Wednesday, Duckworth said, “This isn’t about what side you’re on in the abortion debate, it’s about equality and opportunity plain and simple. Whatever you think about the procedure, we should all agree that what’s legal for wealthy Americans should not be so inaccessible for Americans of color and low-income Americans.”

“Let’s call this amendment what it is: It’s anti-choice and it’s blatantly racist,” Lee said on the Wednesday call. “We know it disproportionately impacts low-income people and women of color. It should never have been signed into law and it’s way past time that it was repealed. The Hyde Amendment has been used by anti-choice politicians to keep abortion care out of the reach for people already marginalized by our health care system.”

But is the Hyde Amendment really racist and discriminatory?

Rev. Dean Nelson, the Executive Director of the Human Coalition and of the pro-life, African American-led Frederick Douglass Leadership Institute, wrote an article dismissing this assertion in The Washington Times.

“They argue that the Hyde Amendment is a “discriminatory policy” and that poor women, especially poor women of color, would benefit from its repeal,” Nelson wrote. “Yet, these arguments entirely miss the mark. The Hyde Amendment prevents discrimination; it does not promote it. That’s because the Hyde Amendment is one of the few remaining legal barriers to the abortion industry’s systematic and racist exploitation of people of color. To truly fight racism, the Biden administration must keep the Hyde Amendment in place. 

“For Black Americans, abortion is the leading cause of death, above even killers like heart disease and cancer. For every 1,000 Black babies born in America, an average of 474 are aborted. In many of America’s cities, the Black abortion rate even outstrips the Black birth rate. In New York City, for example, thousands more Black babies are aborted than are born alive.”

Pro-abortion activists also argue that the procedure is “health care,” but it isn’t.

An abortion is a voluntary medical procedure where a woman makes the decision to abort her child.

The statistics reflect this reality, with the vast majority choosing to have an abortion based on reasons related to their job, relationships, education, financial fears and other issues that have nothing to do with their medical health.

Those that chose abortion based on “physical problems with my health” or “possible problems affecting the health of the fetus” as the primary reason make up roughly 4% and 3% of pregnancies, respectively.

The number one reason why women reportedly choose an abortion is because they are “not ready for a(nother) child/timing is wrong.” That’s not a medical reason, that’s a choice and the American taxpayers should not be responsible for paying for it.

Abortion also endangers a woman’s physical and mental health.

There are many options other than abortion for women facing medical, emotional, relational or financial issues while dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.

Pro-life pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) across the country meet young women where they are every day and offer support, resources, parental education, Bible studies and counseling in order to encourage them to embrace motherhood and deal with the potential trauma of abortion. These PRCs save the lives of not only babies, but mothers and families as well.

The Hyde Amendment protects Americans every day, and hopefully pro-life politicians will continue to support this important piece of legislation.

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