The Hyde Amendment has long enjoyed the support of both Republican and Democratic voters, legislators, and presidents, including Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. It was signed into law by each of them and by Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
In 1994, a Delaware constituent wrote to then-Senator Joe Biden, “Please don’t force me to pay for abortions against my conscience.” Biden responded, “I agree with you… I will continue to abide by the same principle that has guided me throughout my 21 years in the Senate: those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them. As you may know, I have consistently — on no fewer than 50 occasions — voted against federal funding of abortions.”
As recently as 2006, Biden was on the record opposing taxpayer funding of abortion, saying, “I do not vote for funding for abortion… I won’t support public funding.”
But after a series of flip-flops in May and June 2019, Biden came out against the Hyde Amendment, even though he voted in favor of legislation protecting Hyde in his days in the U.S. Senate.
Repealing the Hyde amendment would undo decades of bipartisan support and would thwart the will of the majority of Americans who oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.
