Washington, D.C. – The National Health Law Program condemns the House of Representatives’ inclusion of the Hyde amendment in its 2021 appropriations bill. For over 40 years, the Hyde amendment has severely limited federal funding of abortion services. This de facto ban impacts those who rely on Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Indian Health Services, and other programs within the Department of Health and Human Services. This devastating restriction on abortion access disproportionally impacts the physical and mental health, well-being, and economic security of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. It exacerbates health inequities deeply rooted in racist systems and institutions.
We need elected officials to respond to this moment through bold actions, including ending the nearly 44-year reign of the Hyde Amendment and its war on reproductive health, rights, and justice.
“We hoped that as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to illuminate severe reproductive health injustices stemming from white supremacy and overlapping systems of oppression, congressional leaders would seize this opportunity to drop the Hyde amendment from this year’s spending bill,” says National Health Law Program staff attorney Madeline Morcelle. “Together, the global pandemic, new and expanded restrictions on essential reproductive health care, and the economic crisis are disproportionately harming Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and low-income people nationwide. We need elected officials to respond to this moment through bold actions, including ending the nearly 44-year reign of the Hyde Amendment and its war on reproductive health, rights, and justice.”
“The decision to become a parent is profoundly personal, and everyone, including people enrolled in Medicaid, deserves the ability to make that choice on their terms. The Hyde amendment robs them of that,” says senior attorney Fabiola Carrión. “We all have the right to live, work, and make decisions about our lives and families with dignity and economic security. As an organization that fights for Medicaid and for comprehensive reproductive and sexual health, we are saddened that millions of Medicaid enrollees will still be denied that right. Medicaid access to the full range of reproductive health care, including birth control, maternity care, doula care, and abortion, is a key component in addressing racial health inequities.”
For additional comment or for further information, please contact NHeLP’s Director of Communications Andy DiAntonio at [email protected] or 703.615.0786 (text for quickest response).
