House Democrats Reintroduce Bill to Reverse Hyde Amendment, Allow Taxpayer-Funded Abortions

House Democrats, for the fifth time, reintroduced a bill that would reverse the Hyde Amendment, a provision that has been part of federal appropriations for decades and prevents direct taxpayer funding of abortion through programs like Medicaid.

Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ayanna Pressley (R-MA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act (EACH Act) on Thursday, USA Today reported. The bill would allow anyone who receives health care or insurance through the federal government to have coverage for abortions. 

“The Hyde Amendment disproportionately impacts and restricts low-income people, primarily Black and brown communities, from accessing the full range of reproductive health services that they should be afforded. So it’s discriminatory and racist,” claimed Lee, who added that her fight for abortion access is personal because she had an abortion as a teenager before the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. 

“I know the fear that people have,” she said. “I know personally the trauma and the horrible moments that I experienced.”

The report noted that the bill “faces an uphill climb in the Republican-controlled House.” Taxpayer-funded abortions both at home and abroad are also extremely unpopular with Americans, according to recent polling.

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A Marist Poll released ahead of the first March for Life since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade found that 60 percent of Americans oppose forcing taxpayers to fund abortion in the United States, which is six points higher (54 percent) than the results from last January. By political affiliation, 34 percent of Democrats, 92 percent of Republicans, and 59 percent of independents are against using taxpayer funds for abortion. Seventy-eight percent of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortions abroad, including 61 percent of Democrats, 91 percent of Republicans, and 81 percent of independents.

The president of one of the nation’s leading pro-life groups, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, credited the Hyde Amendment with saving the lives of millions of unborn babies and blasted Democrats for attempting to foist their abortion on demand agenda onto taxpayers.

More than 2.5 million Americans are alive today thanks to the Hyde Amendment, yet pro-abortion Democrats continue to ignore the clear will of the people in their push to impose abortion on demand and even infanticide, paid for by taxpayers, nationwide,” Susan B. Anthony President Marjorie Dannenfelser said.

“Polling released this month confirms 60 percent of Americans oppose using tax dollars to fund abortion domestically, and 78 percent oppose using tax dollars to fund abortion abroad. That strong opposition transcends gender, race and economic status and even encompasses a full third of rank-and-file Democrats,” Dannenfelser continued. “The answer is to make the Hyde Amendment permanent government-wide, and we support legislation introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, Senator Roger Wicker and their colleagues to do exactly that.”