During Wednesday night’s 2020 Democratic debate on CNN, Sen. Kamala Harris criticized former Vice President Joe Biden for reversing his position on the Hyde Amendment for purely political reasons.
Harris conveniently did not explain that the “health care” she was referring to was a euphemism for abortion. The Hyde Amendment is a long-standing federal provision that prevents taxpayer dollars from funding abortions except if the mother’s life is at stake.
The Hyde Amendment has punished low-income women and women of color for too long. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/KNrLeWAnJ3
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 1, 2019
In June, Biden’s campaign announced he would uphold the Hyde Amendment, but after pro-abortion backlash, less than 48 hours later, the campaign reversed Biden’s position.
As a senator, Biden voted for a federal ban on partial-birth abortions and voted against the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill that guaranteed a woman’s “fundamental right to choose to bear a child; terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or terminate a pregnancy after viability when necessary to protect her life or her health.”
Despite Democratic opposition, the Hyde Amendment is a popular policy among most Americans. In 2016, the Hyde Amendment was supported by 57% of voters and opposed by 36%.
