In the cluster of social justice warriors running for president, the newest virtue signal to show the world just how #woke you are is to call for repealing the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment prevents federal funds from paying for abortion, except to save the mother’s life.
But religious freedom means seemingly nothing to the presidential hopefuls, as repealing the Hyde Amendment is the only way to make sure that women have health care, or so they tell us. The following Democratic candidates have pledged to repeal the Hyde Amendment if elected president, followed by their current support in the presidential primary:
- Bernie Sanders (16.9%)
- Elizabeth Warren (8.4%)
- Kamala Harris (7.3%)
- Pete Buttigieg (6%)
- Beto O’Rourke (3.9%)
- Cory Booker (2.7%)
- Kirsten Gillibrand (0.3%)
Bernie Sanders tweeted that there is no middle ground on women’s rights. Women’s rights, according to Sanders, require unlimited access to abortion. He states that under his Medicare for All plan he will repeal the Hyde Amendment, inevitably using federal funds to give your hard-earned tax dollars to fund abortion.
There is #NoMiddleGround on women’s rights. Abortion is a constitutional right. Under my Medicare for All plan, we will repeal the Hyde Amendment.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 5, 2019
Got a moral conscience and don’t want your money going to abortions? Who cares in Bernie’s America!
In a video posted May 16, Beto O’Rourke also promised to repeal the Hyde Amendment.
Repeal the Hyde Amendment. pic.twitter.com/2IOS3LQJNB
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 17, 2019
Not to mention that Kirsten Gillibrand has not only actively pushed to eliminate the Hyde Amendment, but also to codify the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. Pete Buttigieg and Gillibrand found a common thread when discussing abortion rights. They both believe that repealing the amendment would not suffice to help “women’s rights.”
Buttigieg and Gillibrand announced plans to litmus test their potential Supreme Court nominees to ensure that their picks would uphold Roe v. Wade. Ideal Supreme Court justices “are those who share my view that freedom includes freedom to make decisions about your whole body,” Buttigieg told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.
What about front-runner Joe Biden? He reaffirmed his support for the Hyde Amendment after telling an American Civil Liberties Union member just one month ago that he was planning to appeal it.
Our volunteer Nina asked Joe Biden whether, as president, he would lift the Hyde amendment, which bans federal insurance coverage of abortion.
He said yes. #RightsForAll pic.twitter.com/W4jT7RLNzN
— ACLU (@ACLU) May 8, 2019
In the video posted May 8, Biden promises to repeal the Hyde Amendment and bragged about his perfect voting record with the ACLU.
ACLU voter: “I’m an ACLU Rights For All voter and I have one quick question for you. And that is, will you commit to abolishing the Hyde Amendment which hurts poor women and women of color?”
Biden: “Yes… Right now it has to be, it can’t stay.”
However, on June 5, Biden’s campaign team told NBC News that he supports the Hyde Amendment. As a senator, Biden consistently voted for a federal ban on partial-birth abortion and voted against the “Freedom of Choice Act.”
Biden claims his abortion views are “middle of the road.” However, to many on the far-left, middle of the road isn’t going to cut it on the road to the Democratic nomination.
