Arons, Jessica, and Lindsay Rosenthal. “How the Hyde Amendment Discriminates Against Poor Women and Women of Color.” Center for American Progress, May 10, 2013.
Annotation
In this short article, the authors explain how the Hyde Amendment discriminates against poor women and women of color, respectively. Based on statements made by the Amendment’s sponsor, Rep. Henry Hyde, the article contends that the Hyde Amendment intends to deny poor women abortions. To demonstrate the discriminatory impact of the Hyde Amendment, the article provides statistics about the costs of abortion procedures, the demographics of people who rely on government-funded health insurance, and the demographics of people who seek abortion care. Additionally, the article highlights how poor women and women of color face persistent healthcare disparities, especially in reproductive healthcare. In addition to positing some root causes of these inequalities, the article also details the impact of the Hyde Amendment on poor women and women of color, including that one in four Medicaid-eligible pregnant people who seek an abortion are forced to carry their pregnancy to term. In addition to negatively impacting Medicaid enrollees, the Hyde Amendment’s restrictions on abortion coverage extends to federal employees, members of the military, people in federal prisons, and Native American people who rely on the Indian Health Service.