| September 30 marks the anniversary of the 1976 federal Hyde Amendment—one of the most consequential legislative provisions in history for curtailing reproductive rights that bans the use of federal funds for abortion through the Medicaid program. The fact that it was never permanently removed by Congressional lawmakers is coming back to haunt us all, namely through Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. Thanks to that law, and a provision within it blocking many abortion clinics from the Medicaid program for one year, 1.1 million patients are expected to be cut off from a healthcare provider in their community. That is what lawmakers were doing when they moved to “defund” Planned Parenthood—a campaign the US Supreme Court essentially OK’d over the summer: eliminating access to cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and contraception.
For years now, reproductive rights and justice activists have warned that the anti-abortion movement had no intention of leaving the issue of abortion to the states, calling Donald Trump’s bluff. This is one of many examples of how they are going after abortion through federal programs that will affect access nationwide, including in states where abortion is legal. As Shefali Luthra reported for The 19th, Planned Parenthood’s closures “of close to 200 clinics — about one-third of all of its health centers — [will be] mostly in states where abortion is legal.”
The national abortion ban is already underway. It’s been in progress since the passing of Hyde and is advancing as the right marches us towards their ultimate goal of “establishing personhood for embryos and fetuses under the Constitution.” HHS Secretary RFK Jr.’s latest plan to have the FDA examine “the safety and efficacy” of the abortion pill is just one part of this much broader strategy to further restrict or ban access in states where abortion remains legal, and where providers are assisting residents in states where abortion is banned.
While it’s difficult not to feel hopeless, there are many things you can do. Celebrate abortion access wins, no matter their size, in the US and abroad. Work to end abortion stigma by having tough conversations with those you love and those in your community. Continue to share information and resources to assist those who will need access to care. And, for those of you in a state with an off-year election in a few short weeks (hello New Jersey and Virginia!), mobilize voters ahead of election day. We know voting is not enough, but as Black Voters Matter cofounder LaTosha Brown puts it, “voting is a powerful harm-reduction strategy… to reduce the harm happening to our communities.”
In solidarity,
Regina Mahone
Senior Editor |
