Today marks the 50th anniversary of the federal Hyde Amendment, a rider to the annual appropriations bill that funds the Department of Health and Human Services. It largely prevents federal taxpayer dollars from funding elective abortions through Medicaid. As I point out in the Washington Examiner, the Hyde Amendment was valuable to the pro-life movement for three reasons
Hyde was an important political victory. A June 1976 vote on the the amendment received 207 votes, 113 of which came from House Democrats. In the end, 312 congressmen voted to override President Gerald Ford’s veto and approve the appropriations bill that included the original Hyde Amendment. This proved that the nascent pro-life movement had the ability to pass legislation.
Hyde was an important legal victory. During the 1970s, the Supreme Court was very sympathetic to abortion. However, in Harris v. McRae (1980), the Court upheld the Hyde Amendment by a single vote. This showed that pro-lifers could successfully defend pro-life laws and achieve real victories in front of the highest court in the land.
Hyde was an important public policy victory. There is a substantial body of political science, economics, and public health research that shows that limits on taxpayer funding of abortion reduce abortion rates and save lives. Overall, my recent Charlotte Lozier Institute analysis estimates that the Hyde Amendment has saved 2,678,274 lives since 1976.
The issue of taxpayer-funded abortion will become increasingly salient in the future. Today, most Democratic elected officials support it. The next time the Democrats win the presidency, therefore, there is likely going to be a real battle over the Hyde Amendment. Defending its lifesaving legacy needs to be a top priority for the pro-life movement.