Saturday, September 19, 2015

Time to end 'temporary' Hyde Amendment

Did you know that the 1977 Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding of abortions, is not permanent legislation? It's simply a rider to the annual Medicaid funding bill which has to be re-submitted every year to remain in place. It forces poor women to visit the back alley, go broke or suffer diminished mental and physical health at the behest of religious fanatics, the same religious fanatics who decry government intervention in the rest of their lives.

I love abortion, just as I love any medical procedure that advances the health of human beings, whether it be the woman undergoing the procedure or her family members who benefit from a conscious choice for reasons they alone must weigh. Every woman's choice on that issue is none of my damn business, whether the procedure is to save her life, avoid birthing her own brother, or simply represents Plan B. I'm horrified anyone is so self righteous they deny fellow citizens that Constitution given privacy right. That is the essence of privacy and personal freedom in a country that sadly, often strays from that ideal by misguided legislators trolling for votes from an intolerant base. I would no more strive to prevent a woman from obtaining an abortion than I would allow one who strived to prevent me from removing a cancerous growth on the basis it was not their (imaginary) God's will. It is as simple as that.

The Hyde Amendment, initiated by my former congressman Henry Hyde (IL-6) is pure evil. It targets poor women who have little or no access to safe abortion services readily available to women of means. Congressman Hyde not only knew that; he trumpeted it during the 1977 debate: "I certainly would like to prevent, if I could legally, anybody having an abortion, a rich woman, a middle-class woman, or a poor woman. Unfortunately, the only vehicle available is theā€¦Medicaid bill." Hyde's sad legacy after 38 years is millions of poor women whose lives have been diminished, even ended, because of his heartlessness.

The current debate over defunding Planned Parenthood, used by nearly 3 million Americans every year to improve reproductive health, should contain a healthy discussion of ending the pernicious Hyde Amendment. It is time to speak out.

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