Project Description:
The Hyde Amendment, passed in 1976, bans the use of federal funding for abortion coverage. As a direct consequence, the majority of people in the U.S. who depend on public insurance for health care don’t have the coverage for abortion they need – especially the millions of people enrolled in Medicaid.
California is one of 15 states that uses its own Medicaid dollars (through Medi-Cal) to cover abortion care for low-income women. Some believe that the Hyde Amendment does not impact Californians, that our state’s policies protect us. However, many in our state live an everyday reality that is far from utopia. Hyde and other abortion coverage bans mean that there are still Californians whose income-level is deciding for them about if and when to parent.