While the United States has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the world, there is a silver lining in that taxpayers are not forced to pay for this heinous procedure. The Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funded abortions except in the cases of rape or the life of the mother, is a rider which has passed the budget every year with bipartisan support since 1976.
To celebrate this monumental anniversary of 40 years, Secular Pro-Life Perspectives has been planning their #HelloHyde campaign for months. The group sent out a press release for September 30, and advertised their Twitter campaign over Facebook, complete with suggested tweets. #HydeSavesLives is a trend on twitter.
The Hyde Amendment is not merely about protecting the conscience rights of taxpayers. As the press release highlights, in the states where the Hyde Amendment is in effect, one out of nine people born through the Medicaid program is alive today as a result. The total estimate is 2.13 million people. It’s still saving lives today. To see how many individuals were saved by each state, visit the #HelloHyde website, which has tweetable graphics along with state figures.
The #HelloHyde campaign puts a face to those individual children saved, but also to those parents who were able to receive health care through Medicaid.
From the press release:
“I’m the daughter of poor Cuban immigrants and I received Medicaid care as a baby, so the Hyde Amendment is incredibly important to me,” said fellow #HelloHyde organizer Gina Mallica. “Low-income children deserve a chance at life, not a government-subsidized death.”
Valerie Lopez, who became unexpectedly pregnant while a student at Texas A&M and received maternity care through Medicaid, agreed. “The argument that we should repeal the Hyde Amendment to reduce the low-income birthrate is incredibly offensive,” she said. “The Hyde Amendment sends a message: my son Noah’s life matters.”
Screenshot of HelloHyde.org.
The Hyde Amendment, which was just discussed September 23 during a subcommittee hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, could be in jeopardy. The Democratic Party Platform and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton are in favor of repeal, as is vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine, despite his claim that he is personally opposed to abortion. One of the organizers of #HelloHyde, Stargift Thomas (born through Medicaid in 1991), states that while campaigners are aware of the stakes, they are strong in standing up for what they believe in and see the life-protective Hyde Amendment as something to celebrate. “The Hyde Amendment has saved over two million lives and we are confident that it will save many more in the future,” she said.
