FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 27, 2021
Contact: Prudence Robertson, [email protected], 240-672-2828
Manchin Supports the Hyde Amendment, Opposes Taxpayer-Funded Abortion on Demand
Washington, D.C. – The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List today announced details of a six-figure campaign thanking U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) for his opposition to a reconciliation bill that includes taxpayer funding for abortion on demand. The campaign includes digital ads, radio, constituent phone calls, and billboards in West Virginia.
Under budget reconciliation, it is possible to fund programs that bypass the Hyde family of amendments, which stop taxpayer funding of abortion on demand. Reconciliation bills require just a simple majority for passage in both the House and Senate. Anti-life provisions in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill include:
- Creation of a new abortion coverage mandate for plans that cover individuals or families under 138% of the federal poverty level.
- Creation of a new program directed toward the 12 states that have not opted to expand Medicaid and that do not use state funds to pay for abortion. Unlike Medicaid, the program is structured so that it is not subject to the Hyde Amendment.
- Other funding streams related to public health and are not covered by the Hyde Amendment.
Pro-life groups are urging members of Congress to respect the will of the American people and oppose any reconciliation bill that fails to maintain the longstanding Hyde principle of not funding abortion on demand. Manchin has consistently reiterated his support for the Hyde Amendment.
SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser praised Manchin in a statement:
“We thank Senator Manchin for opposing trillions in new spending in the massive reconciliation bill, which includes taxpayer funding of abortion on demand. Under enormous pressure from pro-abortion leaders of his party, Manchin has consistently stood strong to protect unborn children, their mothers, and taxpayers from anti-life extremism in Washington.
“West Virginia is a pro-life state and, like the majority of Americans, Manchin’s constituents support longstanding bipartisan policies like the Hyde Amendment that are proven to save lives – yet radical Biden-Pelosi-Schumer Democrats are pushing to strip these protections out of their massive spending bills and open the floodgates to forced taxpayer funding of abortion on demand, for any reason, up to birth.
“We thank Senator Manchin and urge him to continue standing tall for the pro-life values of the Mountain State.”
Earlier this year the Pelosi-led House of Representatives passed a federal budget for FY22 that, for the first time in decades, did not include the Hyde Amendment and similar riders. Over the past four decades, the Hyde Amendment has saved over 2.4 million lives. SBA List launched a six-figure digital ad campaign exposing the pro-abortion extremism of Democrats for their opposition to Hyde. The campaign targets Senators Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), as well as vulnerable House Democrats up for re-election next year in competitive districts.
SBA List is a network of 900,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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