Nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general issued a letter on Monday urging Congress to reinstate the Hyde Amendment in the 2022 budget proposal issued by President Biden.
The Hyde Amendment was first enacted in 1976 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that, along with its partner decision Doe v. Bolton, legalized abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. The amendment prohibits the use of federal taxpayer funds for most abortions and has been included in every federal budget since 1976 — until now.
In the letter, 22 Republican attorneys general, led by Alabama’s Steve Marshall, argued that it would be “unconscionable” to force taxpayers to pay for abortions and requested that Congress restore the Hyde Amendment to the budget proposal.
“If state taxpayers disagree with the services that their tax dollars pay for, they can ‘vote with their feet’ and move to a state with lower taxes or one that prioritizes spending differently,” the letter stated. “But because one cannot move to avoid federal taxes, there would be nowhere for a pro-life, or even a moderately pro-choice, American to go to avoid violating the moral or religious conviction that their hard-earned dollars not be used to fund abortions.”
The Republican attorneys general who signed the letter include: Ashley Moody (Fla.), Chris Carr (Ga.), Daniel Cameron (Ky.), Eric Schmitt (Mo.) and Ken Paxton (Texas).
READ: Pro-abortion members of Congress use misleading abortion claims to scrap Hyde Amendment
They argue that while the Supreme Court has previously ruled women have a constitutional right to an abortion, they say “this ‘right’ is not a taxpayer-backed guarantee.”
“Thus, requiring taxpayers to fund abortions under the premise that the federal government is responsible for subsidizing an individual’s ‘rights’ represents a dramatic departure, not just from Supreme Court precedent, but from a basic understanding of the role of the federal government,” the letter stated.
Moreover, the letter aptly noted that 60% of Americans, including a number of Independents and Democrats, oppose taxpayer-funded abortion. In fact, Live Action News recently reported that the group Democrats for Life of America have mobilized to show their support for the Hyde Amendment through rallies held throughout the country, including in Washington, D.C.
Last year, a study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research organization associated with the pro-life organization Susan B. Anthony List, revealed that as of July 1, 2020, 2.4 million lives had been saved by the Hyde Amendment.
Proponents of the push to repeal Hyde often cite the amendment as discriminatory against poor women of color. However, only the abortion industry stands to profit from the repeal of Hyde — not women. As Live Action News previously reported, “this push to repeal the Hyde Amendment sends a clear message: low-income children are better off dead.”
Moreover, a 2017 Marist poll found that Americans with lower incomes were less likely than those with higher incomes to support federal or state funding of abortion through Medicaid.
Fox News reports that repealing Hyde will likely face an uphill battle in the Senate, since 50 Republican seats are tied with 50 from Democrats and their independent allies. The coalition is urging Congress not to play politics when it comes to life issues.
“Unborn life might be nothing more than a matter of politics for the administration, but it is something quite different for us: the policy in question is one of life or death,” the letter stated.
“Like” Live Action News on Facebook for more pro-life news and commentary!
