Upon its legalization in 1973, abortion was made accessible to American women in theory, regardless of age, race, ability or socioeconomic income. Medicaid — which is a standardized health care program for low-income individuals and people with disabilities — treated abortion as any other medical procedure.
If a low-income woman wanted to choose an abortion, she could have the procedure covered by Medicaid free of worry — but she wouldn’t have this choice for long. Medicaid covered abortion care for a miniscule three years up until 1976, when the Hyde Amendment was first passed.
In 1976, abortion became the first and only medical procedure banned from Medicaid coverage. Medicaid, however, continues to cover other reproductive health services such as sterilization and birth control methods. The bill specifically bars low-income women the right to choose an abortion, serving as some sort of punishment for engaging in sexual behavior while poor.
Could it be that this bill seeks to punish not only low-income women, but racial minorities as well? According to the 2006 National Survey of Family Growth, the Hyde Amendment disproportionately affects racial minorities — in particular black and Latina women, who through institutionalized racism have traditionally had less access to health care. The amendment undeniably is an extension of institutionalized classism, but it is apparent that it is an extension of institutionalized racism as well. Politicians essentially decided it is their job to dictate the decisions of millions of low-income individuals and minorities across the country.
While the average cost of an abortion at 10 weeks is $470 and the median cost for a medication-induced abortion is $490, these expenses do not include all the various components that go into receiving abortion care. Women in the “abortion desert” must consider travel, food and lodging fares, which can put the total cost of an abortion at upwards of $1000. The fact is, thousands of women in the U.S. must travel hundreds of miles to reach the nearest clinic, due to many of them being shut down by increasingly restrictive policies. Could a low-income mother of three working two part-time jobs just to keep food on the table afford these combined expenses? You tell me.
The denial of abortion care to women of low socioeconomic standing is an issue that has global reaches. The Helms Amendment, which is similar to the Hyde Amendment, denies any international U.S.-funded facilities from providing reproductive health care. This amendment restricts even the discussion of abortion as a possibility for women abroad — even in countries where abortion is totally legal.
In countries where abortion is illegal, medical practitioners are required to remain silent as women perform dangerous and often life-threatening back-alley abortions on themselves. The denial of abortion care to low-income women perpetuates female disempowerment worldwide and it hinders a woman’s ability to take care of herself and her family.
The author of the Hyde Amendment, U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde, said that if possible he would “legally prevent anybody from having an abortion: a rich woman, a middle class woman or a poor woman.” Instead, he decided to inhibit one population, which already happens to be the most marginalized socioeconomic class in the U.S., through the Hyde Amendment.
I envision a country where all people — regardless of age, race, socioeconomic status and geographic location — have access to vital reproductive health and abortion care. In the spirit of “liberty and justice for all,” the discriminatory Hyde Amendment must go.
A version of this article appeared in print on Sept. 29, 2016 on page 6 with the headline: Hyde amendment denies women healthcare.
