Congress has blocked federal dollars from paying for abortion coverage for decades now. But that could change if pro-choice Democrats have their way.
It’s not a surprise that money dictates policy in Washington. Want to understand how a given lawmaker or presidential administration feels about a particular issue? Look to how much money – or little – they devote to a project.
If they spend any money from the federal coffers on a particular program at all.
That’s why the Hyde Amendment has been a part of every government spending bill since 1976, just after the Supreme Court ruling which legalized abortion, Roe v. Wade.
It’s named after late Rep. Henry Hyde. R-Ill. Hyde is known for two things. He chaired the House Judiciary Committee from 1995 to 2001 and was the lead House impeachment manager for President Clinton’s 1999 impeachment trial. He also crafted the Hyde Amendment, barring the government from spending money on abortions.
Few were more ardent pro-lifers in Congress than Henry Hyde.
“It violates your right to be born,” said an impassioned Hyde on the House floor during the summer of 1995 about abortion. “Your right to life, which our Declaration (of Independence) says, is a fundamental endowment..it is inalienable, the right to life.”
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