4 Anti-Abortion Priorities for the New Congress

By Brandon Showalter, Opinion writer and social commentator Thursday, January 05, 2017

Make The Hyde Amendment Permanent

Another legislative item that became a bitter point of division in the election season between the two political parties is the Hyde amendment.

Named after its author, Illinois Congressman Henry Hyde, who served in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007, the amendment forbids the use of certain federal dollars to pay for abortions except in cases to save the mother's life or if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest.

As noted by the ERLC, this amendment "was originally introduced in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade as a bipartisan way to protect the consciences of Americans, who were then – as they are now – deeply divided on the question of whether abortion should be legal in the United States."

However, unlike previous years, in light of the Democrats specifically calling for its repeal in their platform at their 2016 national convention in Philadelphia, the ERLC further contends that is it is time "for the consciences of millions of Americans to be protected by the force of permanent statute," fully enshrining it into law.