Republicans would like nothing better that to relegate the status of women’s reproductive rights back to the days of back alley butchers. Rumor has it that RepubliCare, the plan with a built in death benefit, has adopted the coat hanger as the logo for their female division. In a positive development, it appears that one of the earliest attempts to block women from abortion helps to prevent Republicans from outlawing all abortion at the state level, because to do so blocks the Republicans from Federal money that they say they will refuse, but crave like an addict seeking a fix.
Henry Hyde, a champion of the anti-abortion movement, might turn over in his grave if he knew that a provision of law he authored was an obstacle to individual states banning abortion.
The Hyde Amendment, named for the Illinois Republican who served in Congress for 32 years and died in 2007, initially barred the use of certain federal funds, namely Medicaid health insurance for the poor, to pay for abortion.
But the provision, which has been attached to U.S. spending bills since 1976, was changed in 1977 to allow exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest.
In a strange twist of fate, the Hyde Amendment — whose purpose was to deny federal funding for abortions — has become a stumbling block in efforts to stop abortions altogether, said Keith Mason, founder and president of the anti-abortion group Personhood USA.
"A compromise in legislation that was part of the pro-life movement is the very hurdle that we have to overcome," he told Reuters.
This week lawmakers in Louisiana’s state House effectively killed a bill that would have banned abortion outright. The author of that failed bill said lawmakers were put off by a state fiscal analysis that showed that $4.5 billion in federal funds could be at risk if the state criminalizes rape- and incest-related abortion, putting state law out of compliance with Hyde.
"The Hyde Amendment, or rather the exception to the amendment, is our primary obstacle right now," Louisiana State Representative John LaBruzzo, who sponsored the bill, told Reuters… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Huffington Post>
You can be sure that there will soon be a move afoot to remove the exception, possibly by sneaking it in as an amendment to something unrelated. If you find it before I do, please let me know.
13 Responses to “Republicans Can’t Hyde on Abortion”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
What I am beginning to understand less and less is these people have become professional politicians. They go to school to get educated in the ways of getting and retaining a job but unlike everyone else in society they all somehow think that because they have a job (which most of them do poorly) they are more than willing to claim individual rights while trampling on the same. They claim elected by mandate and yet I really can’t think of more than one or two that actually represent the people they lied to in the interview process to get the job. Most people I know do not want to be dictated to by people a thousand miles away or be told how to live by some professional fools who all know are solely traded on the free market by the wealthy. The entirety of congress is beginning to disgust me.
Mark, I agree completely, with the caveat that you tent to hang with individualists like yourself. There is a large segment of out population who crave authoritarian structure, so they can say “Ba-a-a-a-a-a-a” and take no responsibility for what they think.
Clever title. I like it. I like the irony of the amended Hyde act blocking a state from outlawing abortion if they want to keep receiving federal funds. Nice touch, that.
Welcome Craig. 🙂
Thank you for the complement. I like the irony as well.
Henry Hyde really screwed his “Family Values” party with this. 😆
Actually it was the exception to it won by Democrats.
Lying during the interview process is usually considered grounds for being fired ; Many of these “representatives” lied , if not outright , than by omitting to tell the whole truth–What is wrong that the electorate tolerates this ? These “representatives” were hired by US to do a job , are they doing what their constituents want ?
Well said Phyllis. I’m one of those rare, fortunate individuals individuals.
State Rep: Yes
State Senator: Yes
US Rep: Yes
US Senators: Almost always.
President: Sometimes
Note to All You Repubican Congress Critters: You left the womb decades and decades ago … it’s no longer your home – so QUIT trying to make rules for it.
I personally doubt the US Congress will try anything major on abortion. I think the focus has shifter to state legislatures. But as Indiana recently learned when trying to defund Planned Parenthood – it’s illegal, as detailed in this excellent background/overview article:
http://prochoicewashington.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/abortion-rape-and-the-shameful-legacy-of-the-hyde-amendment/
But leave it up to an outlier (and an out-and-out liar) like Ricky Santorum who wants to make it a federal crime for a physician to perform an abortion, even for rape or incest.
Thanks for the great links, Nameless. Considering how long ago they left the womb, an awful lot ot them are struggling to get back in. 😉
Interestingly, Santorum’s wife has had an abortion – but it’s “different” when the Republicans do it.
$4.5 billion in Federal funding at risk! You bet’cha they’ll do a “work-around”.
Welcome Johnny. 🙂 It”s a pleasure to see you here.
That will do it all right!