The Hyde Amendment Turns 35: Take Action!

Friday, September 30th, 2011 marked the 35th anniversary of the discriminatory Hyde Amendment, which bans federal Medicaid funding for abortion in almost all circumstances. It was the first attack on abortion rights after Roe v. Wade made abortion legal, and the gateway bill that opened the flood of restrictions to abortion that we see today. 

We ask our allies to join us in calling for an end to the Hyde Amendment. As Marlene Gerber Fried says in her essay, "The arc of history does not bend toward justice all by itself -- it takes all of our hands."

What you can do:

Share "Hyde At 35" with your friends--post it to Facebook, send it in an email, post it to Twitter. Here is the link to use: http://fundabortionnow.org/news/HydeAt35

Sign the petition to repeal the Hyde Amendment. Then get three friends to sign it too!

Donate $35.00 to help ensure that no woman is forced to carry a pregnancy to term.

Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. For tips on getting your letter published, click here. For talking points and a sample letter, enter your ZIP code, below.

Step 1 - Select a Recipient

Enter your ZIP code to select a newspaper in your area. After you select a paper, you'll see a screen with some suggested talking points you can click and add to your letter, if you like:

Look for papers within miles of zip code

Step 2 - Write your message





Click on a point to add it to the letter.
  • Abortion should be covered in all public and private insurance plans, including Medicaid. Taking away the ability to decide from a woman with a low income is just plain unfair.

  • The Hyde Amendment, which has prevented federal Medicaid funding of abortion for 35 years, is a threat to the lives of women who are living in poverty and working hard to take care of themselves and their families.

  • Abortion coverage is a matter of racial justice. Because of racial inequities in the United States, restrictions on coverage of abortion care like the Hyde Amendment disproportionately burden women of color.

  • Women’s lives matter. The Hyde Amendment and all other policies that restrict a woman’s access to abortion care disregard the importance of a woman’s life, her hopes, and her hard work on behalf of her family and her future. Bans on abortion coverage deny a woman the ability to find and keep a decent job or to obtain a college degree. These bans deny a woman the opportunity to build a better life for herself and her family, the chance to contribute to the community.

  • The cost of a first-trimester abortion can be more than one-third of what a poverty-level family lives on in a month.