Today marks the 40th anniversary of the passing of the Hyde Amendment, legislation prohibiting the federal government from funding abortion through Medicaid. Unfortunately, this anniversary won’t receive as much attention as the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, but this is certainly one worth remembering, as this amendment was one of the first major victories for the pro-life movement. Rising numbers of Democrats are calling for the abolition of the Hyde Amendment so that abortion can receive taxpayer funding, and for the first time, this year’s Democratic party platform enshrined this goal as an official objective of the party. In light of this, pro-life people must double-down in order to defend the Hyde Amendment and its lifesaving legacy, and the latest research shows that it has saved two million lives over the past 40 years.

The question of Medicaid funding for abortion received relatively little attention from pro-life activists during the early 1970s. Prior to Roe, most pro-life political efforts focused on preventing states from legalizing abortion and repealing state laws that had already legalized abortion. But after 1973, the pro-life movement pivoted to focus on conscience rights and laws that would reduce the number of abortions performed in the U.S. In 1976, Congress overrode a presidential veto in order to add a rider to the annual HHS-Labor appropriations bill. This rider, the Hyde Amendment, limited the use of federal Medicaid funds for abortions and, though the measure faced several legal challenges in the following years, it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1980 and has been attached to federal spending measures every year since.

The original Hyde Amendment only allowed for federal Medicaid funds to pay for abortions that would save the life of the mother, but in 1993 it was changed to allow the funding of abortions in cases of rape and incest. Today, the amendment only limits the ability of the federal government to subsidize abortions through Medicaid, while states remain free to use their Medicaid dollars for that purpose. Currently, 15 states pay for therapeutic abortions through Medicaid, and in some of these states the percentage of Medicaid abortions is as high as 60 percent. This data illustrates that the amendment has had a positive effect in the 35 states that do not subsidize abortion through their state Medicaid programs.

The lifesaving effects of the Hyde Amendment have been substantiated by extensive research, and there is a broad consensus that public-funding restrictions reduce abortion rates. In 2009, the Guttmacher Institute – which up until 2007 was Planned Parenthood’s research arm, and which remains a highly pro-abortion group — published a literature review considering 22 studies. Nineteen of those studies found statistically-significant evidence that abortion rates fell after public funding was restricted. Furthermore, three separate, state-level studies found that after the Hyde Amendment took effect, the birthrate for women of child-bearing age on Medicaid increased by an average of 13 percent. That means in states not funding abortions through Medicaid, one out of nine people born to a mother on Medicaid owe their life to the Hyde Amendment. My own analysis, published by the Charlotte Lozier Institute earlier this week, estimates that the amendment has saved over two million lives since 1976.

In addition, since 1980, the abortion rate in the U.S. has fallen nearly every year, but the Hyde Amendment is not the only reason for this. Research shows that other pro-life laws, shifts in public opinion, and the fact that a higher percentage of unintended pregnancies are being carried to term all play a role in the abortion rate’s decline. That said, the substantial body of research which shows that public funding restrictions reduce the abortion rate demonstrates the Hyde Amendment has certainly played an important role in America’s abortion decline.

Because of the Democratic party’s increasing support of abortion-on-demand, as well as increased public funding for abortion, the pro-life movement must continue to defend the Hyde Amendment and the conscience rights of American citizens. Such a strategy makes sense politically, as numerous polls show that strong majorities of Americans oppose having their tax dollars used to pay for abortion. In fact, even citizens who self identify as Democrats or as pro-abortion don’t want taxpayer money being used for abortion. And, most importantly, the Hyde Amendment remains perhaps the most effective tool for protecting the unborn. In the face of continued assault, we must remember that this measure has save millions of lives and merits our continued support.