CLARKE ISSUES STATEMENT ON 50 YEARS OF THE HYDE AMENDMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

September 30, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT:

e: [email protected]

c: 202.913.0126

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement:

"Today marks 50 years of harm, hardship, and uncertainty under the Hyde Amendment. Since its adoption in 1976, the Hyde Amendment has relentlessly and brutally restricted a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions. Its vile legacy can be seen in the countless women it has affected over this painful past century, as well as in every regression in this nation that its very existence has made possible. Indeed, the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and deny millions of women their right to an abortion could only have arrived in the wake of a post-Hyde America, where women's autonomy has remained under siege, and our personal medical decisions are offered to all hands but our own.

"While there is no shortage of cruelties lurking in the laws of this nation, the Hyde Amendment is particularly sickening because its negative impacts are felt mostly by those with the least. For half a century, it has blocked low-income Americans from having access to insurance when seeking abortion coverage. For Black and brown women, as well as those belonging to rural communities who have long navigated systemic discrimination and contended with trauma and hardship in their struggle to receive care, its impact and consequences have been especially devastating.

"Systemic injustice does not occur spontaneously. It is born in the cruel and controlling hearts of politicians who steal our power and pretend it is their own. As Members of Congress, we have a moral responsibility to stop the Hyde Amendment before it reaches one more year and harms any more women. Now is the time we come together to put an end to this vicious chapter in our history. That starts with passing the EACH Act and ensuring that every American can access affordable abortion care, no matter what."

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