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- About
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The SBA Pro-Life America Family
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Issues
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Events
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- Employment
As Republicans battle Democrats on Biden-era subsidies for Obamacare plans, abortion funding in insurance plans that were ostensibly meant to help Americans afford health care have taken a new spotlight.
Congressional Democrats want to get Republicans to go along with them in extending the subsidies for years more. But pro-life advocates have pushed back, pointing out this would continue a Biden-Obama legacy of taxpayer-funded abortions that voters reject.
Because Democrats craftily wrote the language of Obamacare to get around the protections of the Hyde Amendment, its funding of abortions is very much a live issue today. Nearly 6 in 10 Americans – including 58% of Independents – oppose forcing taxpayers to fund abortions, according to a 2025 Marist/Knights of Columbus poll. In October, more than 100 pro-life groups sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to stop taxpayer funding of abortion through Obamacare.
Pro-life Republican leaders have held the line for months, including through the longest government shutdown in American history, when pro-abortion Democrats held the government hostage for over a month.
Here’s what key Republican voices in the House and Senate, including the highest-ranking leadership, are saying about the importance of this fight.
“The Republicans always stand by the Hyde provisions. It’s been a tradition in our law forever. We do believe in the sanctity of human life, and we think it’s important that taxpayer dollars not fund abortion. This is a well-settled principle of ours. So, this week as we go forward, we’re going to do a lot of things on the floor, and we always keep our fundamental principles in mind.” (Source)
“We are not gonna change the standard that we’re not gonna use taxpayer funding for abortion. I’m just not gonna allow that to happen,” (Source)
“A one-year extension along the lines of what [Democrats] are suggesting, and without Hyde protections — there’s just not even, doesn’t even get close.” (Source)
“The Hyde amendment has been the rule since the mid-’70s or so.” (Source)
“This is a matter of principle for many of us, and the Hyde Amendment is not something new.” (Source)
“One of our most important, if not our most important constituency, is not flexible” on taxpayer-funded abortion. (Source)
“I’ve been very consistent and firm in my position, as have many of my colleagues, that Hyde protection, which is not something new, existed for many, many years, and it’s been federal law for decades. They need to be part of any kind of negotiation deal that might be struck.” (Source)
“If Senate Democrats do not believe there are meaningful differences between the status quo and the Hyde Amendment, they should have no issues with codifying Hyde into law.” (Source)
“Hyde ‘stands for the value of every single child that we do not allow federal dollars to be able to go towards the taking of human life…I’m not flexible on the value of human life.” (Source)
“If my tax dollars are being used to be able to take human life, especially the life of an infant, I have a problem with that.” (Source)
“I’m not flexible on the life of every single child. Every single child is valuable.” (Source)
Rounds warned that “you won’t get any” Republican votes to extend the money without more stringent abortion limitations.
“That’s the message that we shared with a lot of our Democratic colleagues is you can’t do it under your existing framework, and you’re never going to get any Republican votes. Because we believe strongly taxpayer dollars should not go to fund abortions,” he said. “They have a different point of view, but it’s pretty clear that Republicans are solid on that particular issue.” (Source)
“We have never, as Republicans, ever voted to use taxpayer money to fund abortions, and we’re not going to start now.” (Source)
“[Sen. Scott] said that he is not ‘going to change my position with regard to taxpayers should not be paying for abortion.’” (Source)
“I’m unapologetically for Hyde…We certainly want to do everything we can to satisfy the pro-life community” (Source)
“The Hyde Amendment has saved over 2.6 million innocent lives. My commitment to these protections is unchanging.” (Source)
“The Hyde Amendment has been a bedrock principle for Republicans for decades, preventing taxpayer dollars from funding elective abortions. It’s saved over 2.6 million lives and reflects what most Americans want.
“No flexibility on this. We must hold the line.” (Source)
“The idea that we need to have federal funds going to fund abortions, it’s a non-starter for a lot of people.” (Source)
Reporter: “The president said yesterday to be flexible on Hyde.”Â
Rep. Harris: “Well, there’s no flexibility. You’re either using public funds to pay for abortions or you’re not, we’re not sure there’s a compromise available on that.” (Source)
“The Hyde Amendment has saved something in the order of 2.6 million children who otherwise would have been killed through abortion…” (Source)
Instead of extending Covid-era subsidies that pay for abortion coverage, Republican Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) proposed an alternative plan that includes strong Hyde Amendment protections.
In announcing that SBA Pro-Life America will score against a rival plan put forth by the Democrats’ Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, the group’s president Marjorie Dannenfelser said:
“The pro-life movement has been unequivocal: No Hyde, no deal. Any vote to extend Obamacare subsidies without Hyde is a vote for abortion funding – a continuation of the Obama-Biden assault on unborn children and their mothers. This is a bright red line. We will score against every such attempt, now and in the future. Failing to protect the most vulnerable is a nonstarter.”
Updated 1/8/26
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, our movement was given a historic opportunity. But the battle for life became much more difficult.
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