Abortion Funding
Abortion funding bans burden some of the most disadvantaged people in our society - those who rely on the government for healthcare. In 1976, Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, banning federal Medicaid funding for abortion. No other medical procedure was singled out for exclusion. Further limiting reproductive rights, the Bush administration recently passed the Weldon Amendment that will give publicly funded institutions the ability to refuse to provide all abortion related services and referrals. These two laws most seriously harm poor women, young women, rural women and women of color.
Some six million women between 15-44 depend on Medicaid for their health care.
Because of the Hyde Amendment and state bans on Medicaid funding, the majority of these women are denied coverage for abortion. In 33 states and the District of Columbia, women have no access to Medicaid funded abortions. Congress also denies coverage to many other women on federal health plans: women in the US military and the Peace Corps, federal employees, prisoners and women covered by the Indian Health Services.
Congress under-funds such vital public programs as Title X, which provides contraceptive care to low-income women and young women. In real terms, funding today is 57% lower than in 1980.
In 2000, an estimated 11.5 million poor and low-income women remained in need of contraceptive services in 2000, as well as 4.9 million women under the age of 20.
While the overall national abortion rate fell by 11% between 1994 and 2000, abortion rates rose among economically disadvantaged women.
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