Veterans Day commemorates the selfless service given by brave Americans who willingly put their lives on the line in defense of freedom, and all of the values that Americans hold dear. The patriotism of these brave Americans is unmatched, and they deserve to be celebrated without the partisan politics of ideologues. Veterans Day should always be celebrated apart from politics, and should be a day that unites all Americans regardless of policy preferences.
Alas, as could be predicted, NARAL Pro-Choice America, one of the most influential pro-abortion interest groups, used Veterans Day to push their radical agenda.
Veterans and their families deserve the right to make their own decisions about if or when to have children—but the Hyde Amendment denies them that. No one should return home from serving their country only to have their reproductive freedom stripped away. #VeteransDay pic.twitter.com/D6Pxskg4lo
— NARAL (@NARAL) November 11, 2019
NARAL consistently advocates against the Hyde Amendment, framing the provision as extreme and ‘anti-woman,’ despite its historically bipartisan support. Originally ratified in 1976, the Hyde Amendment is merely a protection for taxpayers; it simply prevents federal dollars from funding abortions. The amendment allows for exceptions for cases of rape, incest and life of the mother, in which government funds can be used. Since its origin, the Hyde Amendment has been embraced by Republicans and Democrats alike, and has served as a compromise for the pro-life and pro-choice sides of the issue.
Despite the narrative that NARAL and other groups push, the Hyde Amendment implements no barriers to entry for abortion access. The provision has virtually nothing to do with restricting abortion access and everything to do with protecting taxpayers from funding procedures with which they disagree. The recent narrative, driven by far-left interest groups and politicians, is that the Hyde Amendment discriminates against low-income people and minority groups. The basis for this talking point is the amendment barring Medicaid— federal dollars—- from funding abortions. Indeed, low-income women and women of color account for a large portion of Medicaid users, especially after the Affordable Care Act allowed states to enact vast Medicaid increases. Due to the federal and state overlap of Medicaid, states can use their own individual revenues to fund abortions via Medicaid, rather than the federal dollars contributing to Medicaid. Veterans’ health coverage is also affected by the Hyde Amendment, simply because the VA is federally funded.
Factually, NARAL is partially correct— low income people, minorities, Veterans and anyone else insured under government funds may see a higher impact from the Hyde Amendment. What is being lost in this push for unlimited abortion funded by taxpayers is the fundamental principle behind the provision: protecting taxpayers from spending their hard-earned dollars on a typically elective procedure with which they may not agree. It is much easier for far-left interest groups to throw around buzz-words and phrases such as ‘low-income’ ‘minority’ and ‘anti-woman,’ rather than being truthful about the greater purpose of the Hyde Amendment.
Aside from pushing a misleading narrative about the Hyde Amendment, it is nothing short of despicable for NARAL to use Veterans Day to push a political agenda. Veterans, some of the bravest Americans, deserve our respect and commemoration completely divorced of partisan politics.