FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 27, 2016
Contact: Mallory Quigley, [email protected], 202-223-8073
On Bipartisan Policy’s 40th Anniversary, CLI Aims to Raise Awareness of Hyde’s Effectiveness at Reducing Abortion
Washington, D.C. – A new report by Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) Associate Scholar Dr. Michael New calculates the lifesaving impact of the Hyde Amendment, longstanding bipartisan policy that prevents taxpayer funds from being used to pay for abortion-on-demand through Medicaid. The 40th anniversary of the policy’s first enactment is this Friday, September 30, 2016.
In Hyde @ 40: Analyzing the Impact of the Hyde Amendment, New examines existing research that shows statistically significant decreases in the abortion rate when public funding is unavailable, then considers data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia over the lifetime of the Hyde Amendment to determine approximately how many abortions were prevented. “Even though there exists a consensus that the Hyde Amendment has stopped abortions and saved lives, there is little research on how many lives the Hyde Amendment has actually saved,” writes New, who calculates that more than 2 million people – or one in nine people born to a mother on Medicaid – are alive thanks to this policy.
New’s findings contributed to the #HelloHyde project, which encourages people born while under Medicaid to submit their photographs to hellohyde.org in order to show the human faces behind the one-in-nine statistic.
Charlotte Lozier Institute president Chuck Donovan praised the report, saying:
“Two million lives saved is reason to celebrate. The Hyde Amendment is popular not just with pro-lifers, but with a majority of Americans – people of perse backgrounds and beliefs who all agree that forcing taxpayers to fund abortion is wrong. But 2 million deaths averted is bad news to the abortion industry and its allies, and the Hyde Amendment is under unprecedented assault as its 40th anniversary approaches. Now is the time to redouble the nation’s commitment to one of our most effective tools for protecting unborn children and the freedom of conscience.”
A Marist poll released in July found that a majority of Americans (62 percent) oppose taxpayer funding of abortion, including 63 percent of women, 45 percent of those who say they are “pro-choice” and 44 percent of Democrats.
Charlotte Lozier Institute was launched in 2011 as the education and research arm of Susan B. Anthony List. CLI is a hub for research and public policy analysis on some of the most pressing issues facing the United States and nations around the world. The Institute is named for a feminist physician known for her commitment to the sanctity of human life and equal career and educational opportunities for women.
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