ANALYSIS.
Serious warning from pro-lifers to Trump: 'if Republicans abandon Hyde, they'll lose for sure in November'
President called on GOP congressmen to "be flexible" on amendment banning use of federal public funds to fund or promote abortion.
Pro-life protesters applaud Trump during 2020 March for Life.
"If Republicans abandon Hyde, they are sure to lose this November." This is the blunt warning from the pro-life movement to President Donald Trump after he asked congressional Republicans to "be flexible" on the amendment banning the use of federal public funds to finance or promote abortion except in special circumstances.
"A massive betrayal"
In a statement, Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, warned that "voters sent a GOP trifecta to Washington and they expect it to govern like one. Giving in to Democrat demands that our tax dollars are used to fund plans that cover abortion on demand until birth would be a massive betrayal."
"For decades, opposition to taxpayer funding of abortion and support for the Hyde Amendment has been an unshakeable bedrock principle and a minimum standard in the Republican Party. To suggest Republicans should be ‘flexible’ is an abandonment of this decades-long commitment. If Republicans abandon Hyde, they are sure to lose this November."
"Trump and congressional Republicans should honor this commitment, not abandon it."
In addition, Dannenfelser reminded the president of his own commitment to this amendment in the past—noting that he even legislated in this regard on Jan. 24, just days after being sworn in for his second term—and urged him and GOP lawmakers to continue that line, not abandon it:
President Trump has consistently supported the Hyde Amendment. He pledged repeatedly to make it permanent law, including in health care coverage, and one of his first actions upon taking office last year was prioritizing the reversal of President Biden’s Hyde violations."
“President Trump stated very clearly last year, ‘It is the policy of the United States, consistent with the Hyde Amendment, to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion.’ President Trump and congressional Republicans must follow through, not abandon, this commitment.”
What is the Hyde Amendment?
The measure marked one of the first major pro-life victories following the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. In 1980, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the original text of the Hyde Amendment by a 5-4 vote in Harris v. McRae.
After its entry into force, it has undergone several amendments:
- Between 1981 and 1993 it prohibited the use of federal funds for abortions, "except when the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term."
- In 1993, Bill Clinton, expanded the category of abortions for which federal funds available under Medicaid could be used to include cases of rape and incest.
- Biden omitted the amendment from his 2022 budget, but in March of that same year he was forced to backtrack as part of negotiations to avoid a government shutdown.
LATEST
