Make The Hyde Amendment Permanent

Even the majority of those who believe in abortion agree that taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for it. The Hyde Amendment, which was passed 40 years ago last week, prevents taxpayer dollars from paying for abortions. The problem is, it has to be approved every year.

In the past, this has always received routine bipartisan support. But today pro-abortion militants are targeting the amendment, so it is losing Democratic support. In fact, Hillary Clinton is calling for ending the Hyde Amendment. She wants taxpayers to foot the bill for killing unborn children.

There is a measure before Congress to make the Hyde Amendment permanent. Oklahoma Senator James Lankford writes about that after the jump.

From Sen. James Lankford, Hyde Amendment — No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act Would Make It Permanent | National Review:

Today marks the 40th anniversary of an important policy that prohibits taxpayer funding of abortion – the Hyde Amendment. This is an annual appropriations rider that does not allow direct taxpayer dollars to fund abortion coverage through government programs.

Former congressman Henry Hyde, from Illinois, offered this amendment first in 1976. In 1980 the Supreme Court upheld the Hyde Amendment in a 5–4 decision, recognizing that “abortion is inherently different from other medical procedures, because no other procedure involves the purposeful termination of a potential life.”. . .

Last summer’s revelations about Planned Parenthood’s organ-harvesting operation opened the eyes of many Americans to the inhuman treatment of unborn children, bringing the taxpayer payment of abortion again to the national conversation. This is a sensitive topic for many. An abortion decision is an agonizing one for many who find themselves facing the crisis of an unplanned pregnancy. But it is common sense that we shouldn’t force taxpayers to assist in the harvesting of human organs or pay for the purposeful termination of a potential life.

Not only has this longstanding policy traditionally had bipartisan support, it is supported by most Americans. A poll from this summer found that public funding for abortion is opposed even by a majority of those who identify as pro-choice. About 51 percent of the respondents of a Knights of Columbus–Marist poll identified themselves as pro-choice; 62 percent, however, said they oppose taxpayer funding for abortion.

But here’s the problem: The Hyde Amendment is not permanent. It is currently a policy that must be consistently renewed in annual appropriations bills. This uncertainty has opened the door to an emboldened pro-abortion group of advocates and politicians who have increased their calls for an end to the Hyde Amendment. They demand government-funded abortion at the taxpayers’ expense. I

t is past time for the Hyde Amendment to be made permanent and government-wide. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act does this. It has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Roger Wicker, of Mississippi, and in the House by Representative Chris Smith, of New Jersey. The House passed it with bipartisan support in January of last year. The Senate should take up this bill without delay. It should be settled law that taxpayers cannot be forced to fund an abortion.