Repealing the Hyde Amendment

[lpetrich]

The  Hyde Amendment is a provision in US law that forbids Federal money to be spent on abortions unless to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest. Its 23rd anniversary was marked recently by its opponents. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA: East Bay) introduced last spring a bill, Text - H.R.1692 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act of 2019 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress to repeal it.

It now has 168 cosponsors, starting with 92 original ones, a little less than the 218 necessary for passing it in the House. I doubt that it will do well in the Senate, given the Republican majority there. I suspect that Mitch McConnell will call it "socialism".

Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Barbara Lee, AOC Speak Out Against Hyde Amendment

In a video shared exclusively with The Root, the congresswomen condemn the “egregious policy rider,” named for former Illinois Representative Henry Hyde, for restricting abortion access for the women who are most socially and economically vulnerable. They also draw attention to the legislative fight to repeal it.

“Our access to reproductive justice and reproductive freedom should not be income-based,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez says.

“Hyde’s days are numbered. Tick-tock, y’all.” Pressley chimes in later.

Rep. Lee was a staffer when it was passed, and she was "furious" about it.

As Congresswoman Pressley points out, the bill has had a disproportionate impact on low-income women, 1 in 4 of whom are forced to carry an unplanned pregnancy because they can’t access or afford an abortion. And because class is intractably tied to racial divisions in this country (people of color are disproportionately likely to rely on Medicaid), the amendment is more likely to restrict abortion access for women of color than it does white women. Many advocates of repealing the amendment have thus highlighted it as a human rights and racial justice issue.

Several Presidential candidates now support its repeal: Julián Castro, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden, once a strong supporter.

Elizabeth Warren on Twitter: "The Hyde Amendment limits women's access to safe, legal abortion—particularly women of color. It’s time for Hyde to go. https://t.co/osWcgK7qoF" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

The Hyde Amendment has been the Missouri Compromise of abortion, an attempt to please both sides. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 stated that states were to enter the Union as pairs: a free state and a slave state. It was named after admitting Missouri as a slave state alongside Maine as a free state. But it broke down in the 1850's with increasing hostility between the free and slave parts of the nation, hostility that led to the Civil War.

So that is likely to happen with abortion.

‘Squad’ members Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley team up to push for Hyde Amendment repeal – 1010 WCSI

“I was a staffer in 1977 to the late, great feminist congressman Ron Dellums,” Lee said in the video for The Root. “I knew exactly what this would do, and that would be to deny low-income women and women of color access to the full range of reproductive rights, including abortion.”

...
“Our access to reproductive justice and reproductive freedom should not be income-based,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Repealing Hyde means that low-income women, women who are incarcerated, nonbinary people who need access to an abortion can get it, not because they are wealthy but because they are an American.”

Of the other two members, Ilhan Omar was an original cosponsor, like AOC and AP, but Rashida Tlaib is a later one.

Rep. Barbara Lee on Twitter: "On the 43th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, it’s time to be BOLD and lift abortion coverage bans once and for all. As my friends @RepPressley and @RepAOC said, Hyde's days are numbered. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/oMSaWX0wB5" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It’s an honor of a lifetime to join members of Congress who have been taking the hard road & fighting for justice their whole lives.
Barbara Lee is one of them.
Thank you, @RepBarbaraLee for leading the fight in reproductive justice to end the Hyde Amendment. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/vygRhAmQzy" / Twitter

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It's time to end the Hyde Amendment. Thank you @RepBarbaraLee and @RepPressley for fearlessly fighting for a future of dignity and respect. There is strength in sisterhood #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/Dgo5mpU4mp" / Twitter

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "Keeping people unhealthy is another form of oppression.
For 43 years, the #HydeAmendment has oppressed millions of low-income people & people of color by depriving them of #abortion care.
#Hyde’s days are numbered #TickTock #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/olGgve7H0s" / Twitter

 

[Harry Bosch]

The Hyde Amendment has been the Missouri Compromise of abortion, an attempt to please both sides. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 stated that states were to enter the Union as pairs: a free state and a slave state. It was named after admitting Missouri as a slave state alongside Maine as a free state. But it broke down in the 1850's with increasing hostility between the free and slave parts of the nation, hostility that led to the Civil War.

So that is likely to happen with abortion.

‘Squad’ members Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley team up to push for Hyde Amendment repeal – 1010 WCSI

“I was a staffer in 1977 to the late, great feminist congressman Ron Dellums,” Lee said in the video for The Root. “I knew exactly what this would do, and that would be to deny low-income women and women of color access to the full range of reproductive rights, including abortion.”

...
“Our access to reproductive justice and reproductive freedom should not be income-based,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Repealing Hyde means that low-income women, women who are incarcerated, nonbinary people who need access to an abortion can get it, not because they are wealthy but because they are an American.”

Of the other two members, Ilhan Omar was an original cosponsor, like AOC and AP, but Rashida Tlaib is a later one.

Rep. Barbara Lee on Twitter: "On the 43th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, it’s time to be BOLD and lift abortion coverage bans once and for all. As my friends @RepPressley and @RepAOC said, Hyde's days are numbered. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/oMSaWX0wB5" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It’s an honor of a lifetime to join members of Congress who have been taking the hard road & fighting for justice their whole lives.
Barbara Lee is one of them.
Thank you, @RepBarbaraLee for leading the fight in reproductive justice to end the Hyde Amendment. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/vygRhAmQzy" / Twitter

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It's time to end the Hyde Amendment. Thank you @RepBarbaraLee and @RepPressley for fearlessly fighting for a future of dignity and respect. There is strength in sisterhood ?????????????????????????????? #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/Dgo5mpU4mp" / Twitter

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "Keeping people unhealthy is another form of oppression.
For 43 years, the #HydeAmendment has oppressed millions of low-income people & people of color by depriving them of #abortion care.
#Hyde’s days are numbered #TickTock #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/olGgve7H0s" / Twitter

Sorry, but there is no chance that it will be repealed. Trump/Pence would never sign the bill. The senate is controlled by the republicans. We only have a bare majority in the house. If we want to change laws to benefit people we must first gain back some political influence in the government.

 

[PyramidHead]

The Hyde Amendment has been the Missouri Compromise of abortion, an attempt to please both sides. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 stated that states were to enter the Union as pairs: a free state and a slave state. It was named after admitting Missouri as a slave state alongside Maine as a free state. But it broke down in the 1850's with increasing hostility between the free and slave parts of the nation, hostility that led to the Civil War.

So that is likely to happen with abortion.

‘Squad’ members Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley team up to push for Hyde Amendment repeal – 1010 WCSI

“I was a staffer in 1977 to the late, great feminist congressman Ron Dellums,” Lee said in the video for The Root. “I knew exactly what this would do, and that would be to deny low-income women and women of color access to the full range of reproductive rights, including abortion.”

...
“Our access to reproductive justice and reproductive freedom should not be income-based,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Repealing Hyde means that low-income women, women who are incarcerated, nonbinary people who need access to an abortion can get it, not because they are wealthy but because they are an American.”

Of the other two members, Ilhan Omar was an original cosponsor, like AOC and AP, but Rashida Tlaib is a later one.

Rep. Barbara Lee on Twitter: "On the 43th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, it’s time to be BOLD and lift abortion coverage bans once and for all. As my friends @RepPressley and @RepAOC said, Hyde's days are numbered. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/oMSaWX0wB5" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It’s an honor of a lifetime to join members of Congress who have been taking the hard road & fighting for justice their whole lives.
Barbara Lee is one of them.
Thank you, @RepBarbaraLee for leading the fight in reproductive justice to end the Hyde Amendment. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/vygRhAmQzy" / Twitter

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It's time to end the Hyde Amendment. Thank you @RepBarbaraLee and @RepPressley for fearlessly fighting for a future of dignity and respect. There is strength in sisterhood ������������������������������ #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/Dgo5mpU4mp" / Twitter

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "Keeping people unhealthy is another form of oppression.
For 43 years, the #HydeAmendment has oppressed millions of low-income people & people of color by depriving them of #abortion care.
#Hyde’s days are numbered #TickTock #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/olGgve7H0s" / Twitter

Sorry, but there is no chance that it will be repealed. Trump/Pence would never sign the bill. The senate is controlled by the republicans. We only have a bare majority in the house. If we want to change laws to benefit people we must first gain back some political influence in the government.

This is how you build momentum and gain buy-in from the public for the legislative agenda your party hopes to push if it gains power. The election is next year.

 

[Toni]

The Hyde Amendment has been the Missouri Compromise of abortion, an attempt to please both sides. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 stated that states were to enter the Union as pairs: a free state and a slave state. It was named after admitting Missouri as a slave state alongside Maine as a free state. But it broke down in the 1850's with increasing hostility between the free and slave parts of the nation, hostility that led to the Civil War.

So that is likely to happen with abortion.

‘Squad’ members Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley team up to push for Hyde Amendment repeal – 1010 WCSI

“I was a staffer in 1977 to the late, great feminist congressman Ron Dellums,” Lee said in the video for The Root. “I knew exactly what this would do, and that would be to deny low-income women and women of color access to the full range of reproductive rights, including abortion.”

...
“Our access to reproductive justice and reproductive freedom should not be income-based,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Repealing Hyde means that low-income women, women who are incarcerated, nonbinary people who need access to an abortion can get it, not because they are wealthy but because they are an American.”

Of the other two members, Ilhan Omar was an original cosponsor, like AOC and AP, but Rashida Tlaib is a later one.

Rep. Barbara Lee on Twitter: "On the 43th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, it’s time to be BOLD and lift abortion coverage bans once and for all. As my friends @RepPressley and @RepAOC said, Hyde's days are numbered. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/oMSaWX0wB5" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It’s an honor of a lifetime to join members of Congress who have been taking the hard road & fighting for justice their whole lives.
Barbara Lee is one of them.
Thank you, @RepBarbaraLee for leading the fight in reproductive justice to end the Hyde Amendment. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/vygRhAmQzy" / Twitter

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It's time to end the Hyde Amendment. Thank you @RepBarbaraLee and @RepPressley for fearlessly fighting for a future of dignity and respect. There is strength in sisterhood ������������������������������ #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/Dgo5mpU4mp" / Twitter

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "Keeping people unhealthy is another form of oppression.
For 43 years, the #HydeAmendment has oppressed millions of low-income people & people of color by depriving them of #abortion care.
#Hyde’s days are numbered #TickTock #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/olGgve7H0s" / Twitter

Sorry, but there is no chance that it will be repealed. Trump/Pence would never sign the bill. The senate is controlled by the republicans. We only have a bare majority in the house. If we want to change laws to benefit people we must first gain back some political influence in the government.

But.....maybe Trump will take Pence down as well and we have Nancy Pelosi....

a girl can dream, can't she?

 

[lpetrich]

Julián Castro on Twitter: "The first woman to die because of the Hyde Amendment was named Rosie, just like my mom. She was a working class Latina, a child of farmworkers, and a single mom. She died here in Texas.
The Hyde Amendment has hurt too many. As president, I'll end it. https://t.co/800MvujUxg" / Twitter

Cory Booker on Twitter: "43 years ago, the House passed the Hyde Amendment for the first time, denying federal Medicaid coverage of abortion to millions—many of them low-income and people of color. As president, I will fight to end the assault on reproductive health, including the repeal of Hyde. https://t.co/MBuVjDnhMD" / Twitter

Ed Markey on Twitter: "The #HydeAmendment disproportionately denies low-income people from accessing critical reproductive health services. How much money someone makes should have no impact on if they can get the medical care they need. Repro freedom is a right, not a political game. #BeBoldEndHyde" / Twitter

Bernie Sanders on Twitter: "If we believe in the constitutional right to abortion, we must ensure all women have that right regardless of income. Medicare for All will cover all reproductive health services, including abortion, and eliminate the Hyde Amendment. https://t.co/44gWftonps" / Twitter

Pete Buttigieg on Twitter: "Every woman should be able to make decisions about their own health regardless of their income. The urgency of this moment demands we act to end Hyde, and it calls on us to deliver reproductive justice for all women. #BeBoldEndHyde" / Twitter

Rep. Ted Lieu on Twitter: "The decision to get an abortion is personal. The ONLY person who should have say in that choice is the patient. On the 43th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment it’s time to be BOLD and lift abortion coverage bans once and for all. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/tG4sfWrWh2" / Twitter

Rep. Joe Kennedy III on Twitter: "Hyde Amendment codifies inequities in our health care system that deny low-income women abortion rights & access to care they deserve. It’s time to #BeBoldEndHyde by passing @RepBarbaraLee’s #EACHWoman Act today." / Twitter

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "The #HydeAmendment denies abortion coverage to people already more likely to be systematically underserved by our health system and struggling to make ends meet, including women of color, young people, transgender and non-binary people. We must change that. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/Ks3gSSDmwP" / Twitter

Rep. Pramila Jayapal on Twitter: "The Hyde Amendment keeps people - particularly those who are low income and/or people of color - from making decisions about their own bodies and accessing the care they need. Thank you to my colleagues for standing up for abortion access. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/n1wDZnXzxU" / Twitter

Senator Patty Murray on Twitter: "Congress can #BeBoldEndHyde by passing the EACH Woman Act—legislation that would help ensure every woman, regardless of how she is insured, her zip code, or her income, can make the health care decisions that are right for her." / Twitter

Rep. Sean Casten on Twitter: "Today is the 43rd anniversary of the Hyde Amendment. As a Member who represents the District held by Henry Hyde, I’m proud to support the EACH Woman Act that finally ends the Hyde amendment and stops politicians from interfering in personal medical decisions. #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/4u66SV4gwt" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Rep. Mark Pocan on Twitter: "Our country is in a healthcare crisis. Nowhere have we failed more than our failure to secure reproductive health & abortion access to the people who need it most--rural families, people of color, indigenous communities, & trans people.
The time to #BeBoldEndHyde is NOW. https://t.co/nk0AgYRhZy" / Twitter

Bill Foster on Twitter: "I am proud to cosponsor the EACH Woman Act to ensure that coverage bans like the Hyde Amendment won’t stand in the way of anyone’s decision about abortion for themselves and their family. #BeBoldEndHyde #4EACHofUs" / Twitter

(((Rep. Nadler))) on Twitter: "A woman shouldn't be denied health coverage because of how much money she makes or how she is insured. Proud to support the EACH Woman Act, which lifts abortion coverage bans and stops politicians from interfering in personal decisions between a woman and her doctor. #4EACHofUs" / Twitter

Senator Jacky Rosen on Twitter: "No woman should be denied access to reproductive health services because of her income level or lack of insurance coverage. I’m joining my colleagues in helping to introduce the #EACHWomanAct to repeal the Hyde Amendment and ensure access to reproductive health care. #4EACHofUs https://t.co/R81fIsyitF" / Twitter

Jan Schakowsky on Twitter: "Though the Trump Administration is bending over backwards to erase reproductive rights for women, the EACH Woman Act takes a giant & important leap forward. I’m proud to reintroduce this bill to ensure safe and affordable abortion care for all. #BeBoldEndHyde #4EACHofUs https://t.co/NRitNPDACP" / Twitter

Antonio Delgado on Twitter: "Proud to be introducing a bill to eliminate the Hyde Amendment. All women have a right to full reproductive health care, and their income should not be a barrier to that. #4EACHofUs #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/z3ZBmjKwnu" / Twitter

Suzanne Bonamici on Twitter: "A woman shouldn’t be denied health coverage because of how much money she makes or how she is insured. I’m proud to support the EACH Woman Act to make sure all women have their pregnancy needs covered. #4EACHofUs https://t.co/dTnTvVPT6g" / Twitter

Congressman Antonio Delgado on Twitter: "Proud to help introduce the EACH Woman Act, which repeals the Hyde Amendment and ensures that all women – regardless of their income level – can make their own choices about their reproductive health care. #4EACHofUs #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/RxX6KeWhcD" / Twitter

Rep. Lois Frankel on Twitter: "Nothing & no one should stand in the way of the deeply personal decisions made by a woman & her family –no matter what her financial situation is! Proud to cosponsor the EACH Woman Act that ensures abortion coverage for each of us #4EACHofUs #BeBoldEndHyde https://t.co/SGcRWUdTEl" / Twitter

Rep. Betty McCollum on Twitter: "I'm co-sponsoring the #EACHWoman Act because all women should have access to comprehensive reproductive health care. #BeBoldEndHyde" / Twitter

Rep. Suzan DelBene on Twitter: "The #EACHWoman Act ensures that the ONLY person who has a say in the very personal decision to get an abortion is the patient. #BeBoldEndHyde" / Twitter


Another AOC?
Melanie D'Arrigo for Congress on Twitter: "I’m Melanie D’Arrigo, a progressive Democrat, activist, organizer and mom, running for Congress in New York’s 3rd District. I’m an everyday person running for Congress to bring a voice back to the everyday people our elected officials often ignore. https://t.co/zFcfqhaAgM" / Twitter
Melanie D'Arrigo for U.S. Congress
Everyone wants to be the next AOC. And that’s the problem. | CSNY

 

[lpetrich]

My previous posts show how much this issue has gotten political momentum. Why now and not some other time? Part of it is the feeling of many pro-choicers that abortion rights are under threat. Here again, there is a parallel. In the early 19th cy., many northerners grumbled that the "slaveocracy" or "Slave Power" was having disproportionate influence over national politics, but that seemed a distant issue for a long time. The mid 19th cy. version of the Fugitive Slave Act mandated that northerners be accomplices for slave catchers -- or else. In response, some northern states passed "personal liberty" laws. South Carolina's secession statement includes some grumbling about how uncooperative some northern states were.

So with abortion being regulated to death in some states and a prospect of the end of Roe vs. Wade, pro-choicers are getting more energized. The anti-abortionists claim to want to leave it to the states, but will they be satisfied with that?

Sorry, but there is no chance that it will be repealed. Trump/Pence would never sign the bill. The senate is controlled by the republicans. We only have a bare majority in the house. If we want to change laws to benefit people we must first gain back some political influence in the government.

This is how you build momentum and gain buy-in from the public for the legislative agenda your party hopes to push if it gains power. The election is next year.

Yes indeed. I've read that some Democratic Senate candidates intend to link their opponents to Senator Mitch McConnell.

But.....maybe Trump will take Pence down as well and we have Nancy Pelosi....

a girl can dream, can't she?

 

[lpetrich]

The Fight to End the Hyde Amendment Has Finally Come to the U.S. Senate - Rewire.News

While Lee first introduced the Each Woman Act in the House in 2015, this is the first time a version of the legislation has been introduced in the Senate, with support from Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Patty Murray (D-WA).

“The Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed women’s constitutional right to make their own reproductive decisions, making clear the government has no place getting in between women and their doctors,” Duckworth said in a statement. “But for decades, conservative lawmakers have worked to whittle down that constitutionally-protected right to the point where it’s now effectively inaccessible for low-income women who rely on Medicaid, for female servicemembers and for millions more women nationwide.”

“The Supreme Court didn’t protect these rights only for wealthy women, and they didn’t say only for women who live in certain states,” Duckworth continued. “That’s not right, it’s not fair, and it’s certainly not equal—so I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the EACH Woman Act so that every woman in this country has equal access to her constitutionally-protected rights, no matter her income, her race, or her zip code.”

EACH Woman Act: Senators Introduce Legislation to Finally Repeal the Hyde Amendment and End Wide-Ranging Federal Abortion-Funding Ban - Vogue


Text - S.758 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act of 2019 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

It was introduced by Tammy Duckworth and it has 23 cosponsors, including some Democratic Presidential candidates:

Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Michael Bennet

 

[PyramidHead]

Raising this issue now is also an important way to differentiate among the Presidential candidates in the primary. Biden famously did an abrupt about-face on it back in June or July of this year, reversing his stance after decades of supporting it and having supported it just two days earlier.

 

[Fentoine Lum]

The  Hyde Amendment is a provision in US law that forbids Federal money to be spent on abortions unless to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest. Its 23rd anniversary was marked recently by its opponents. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA: East Bay) introduced last spring a bill, Text - H.R.1692 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act of 2019 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress to repeal it.

It now has 168 cosponsors, starting with 92 original ones, a little less than the 218 necessary for passing it in the House. I doubt that it will do well in the Senate, given the Republican majority there. I suspect that Mitch McConnell will call it "socialism".

Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Barbara Lee, AOC Speak Out Against Hyde Amendment

In a video shared exclusively with The Root, the congresswomen condemn the “egregious policy rider,” named for former Illinois Representative Henry Hyde, for restricting abortion access for the women who are most socially and economically vulnerable. They also draw attention to the legislative fight to repeal it.

“Our access to reproductive justice and reproductive freedom should not be income-based,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez says.

“Hyde’s days are numbered. Tick-tock, y’all.” Pressley chimes in later.

Rep. Lee was a staffer when it was passed, and she was "furious" about it.

As Congresswoman Pressley points out, the bill has had a disproportionate impact on low-income women, 1 in 4 of whom are forced to carry an unplanned pregnancy because they can’t access or afford an abortion. And because class is intractably tied to racial divisions in this country (people of color are disproportionately likely to rely on Medicaid), the amendment is more likely to restrict abortion access for women of color than it does white women. Many advocates of repealing the amendment have thus highlighted it as a human rights and racial justice issue.

Several Presidential candidates now support its repeal: Julián Castro, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden, once a strong supporter.

Elizabeth Warren on Twitter: "The Hyde Amendment limits women's access to safe, legal abortion—particularly women of color. It’s time for Hyde to go. https://t.co/osWcgK7qoF" / Twitter

Is this the same Henry Hyde that had extra-marital affairs but grandstanded endlessly about Bill Clinton's affair?

 

[lpetrich]

Is this the same Henry Hyde that had extra-marital affairs but grandstanded endlessly about Bill Clinton's affair?

It was easy to do that research:  Hyde Amendment,  Henry Hyde - indeed it was.

 

[Bomb#20]

Of course abortion is a good thing, and of course Americans have a constitutional right to it, and of course the Hyde Amendment is bad law, and of course it should be repealed; but...

Bernie Sanders on Twitter: "If we believe in the constitutional right to abortion, we must ensure all women have that right regardless of income. Medicare for All will cover all reproductive health services, including abortion, and eliminate the Hyde Amendment. https://t.co/44gWftonps" / Twitter

... Sanders is making an idiotic argument. We have the constitutional right to bear arms too. Does that mean the government is obligated to buy everyone a gun?

 

[PyramidHead]

Of course abortion is a good thing, and of course Americans have a constitutional right to it, and of course the Hyde Amendment is bad law, and of course it should be repealed; but...

Bernie Sanders on Twitter: "If we believe in the constitutional right to abortion, we must ensure all women have that right regardless of income. Medicare for All will cover all reproductive health services, including abortion, and eliminate the Hyde Amendment. https://t.co/44gWftonps" / Twitter

... Sanders is making an idiotic argument. We have the constitutional right to bear arms too. Does that mean the government is obligated to buy everyone a gun?

That's actually a far more interesting point than I think you were trying to make. In my view, it shows one important difference between social democracy and Marxist revolutionary socialism. When one argues, as Bernie does, that the government needs to be reformed so it treats everyone better, but stops short of saying it needs to be overthrown and replaced with a state directly run by the workers, one hits the snag of maintaining the state's monopoly on deadly force. To a Marxist, everyone should have a gun if they want one, especially poor people and minorities, and gun ownership absolutely should be part of a collectively run distribution, training, and record-keeping program. But that program requires a different state and a different economy than the one we have, and one that nobody (including Bernie) is suggesting we bring about.

 

[Bomb#20]

When one argues, as Bernie does, that the government needs to be reformed so it treats everyone better, but stops short of saying it needs to be overthrown and replaced with a state directly run by the workers, one hits the snag of maintaining the state's monopoly on deadly force. To a Marxist, everyone should have a gun if they want one, especially poor people and minorities, and gun ownership absolutely should be part of a collectively run distribution, training, and record-keeping program.

Now there's a curious statement. I get why a Marxist would say "especially poor people". Marx after all says the whole point of having a state directly run by the workers is to crush class enemies; presumably that's the bourgeois, the rich. But why would a Marxist say "and minorities"? Are white people considered class enemies now? Have Marxists inherited Engels' belief in "entire reactionary peoples", and agree that it will be an advance when the proletarian revolution causes them to disappear from the face of the earth? Did the entire people defined as reactionary expand from just the South Slavs to all Caucasians?

 

[PyramidHead]

When one argues, as Bernie does, that the government needs to be reformed so it treats everyone better, but stops short of saying it needs to be overthrown and replaced with a state directly run by the workers, one hits the snag of maintaining the state's monopoly on deadly force. To a Marxist, everyone should have a gun if they want one, especially poor people and minorities, and gun ownership absolutely should be part of a collectively run distribution, training, and record-keeping program.

Now there's a curious statement. I get why a Marxist would say "especially poor people". Marx after all says the whole point of having a state directly run by the workers is to crush class enemies; presumably that's the bourgeois, the rich. But why would a Marxist say "and minorities"? Are white people considered class enemies now? Have Marxists inherited Engels' belief in "entire reactionary peoples", and agree that it will be an advance when the proletarian revolution causes them to disappear from the face of the earth? Did the entire people defined as reactionary expand from just the South Slavs to all Caucasians?

lol no, minorities are just disenfranchised in America you fucking dweeb.

 

[Derec]

How there's a curious statement. I get why a Marxist would say "especially poor people". Marx after all says the whole point of having a state directly run by the workers is to crush class enemies; presumably that's the bourgeois, the rich. But why would a Marxist say "and minorities"? Are white people considered class enemies now? Have Marxists inherited Engels' belief in "entire reactionary peoples", and agree that it will be an advance when the proletarian revolution causes them to disappear from the face of the earth? Did the entire people defined as reactionary expand from just the South Slavs to all Caucasians?

I think you definitely have something with the idea of "reactionary peoples". I think the far-left sees European whites as "reactionary peoples" who invented things like modern capitalism, colonialism etc. and who must be made minorities everywhere and even abolished.
That's why they support mass migration from 3rd world countries - mostly Latin America (home of socialist so-called "liberation" theology) for US and mostly Islamic migrants (Leftists have an irrational infatuation with Islam after all) for Europe.

 

[lpetrich]

Refinery29 on Twitter: ".@AOC @AyannaPressley @JanSchakowsky and @RepBarbaraLee just filed an amendment to repeal the Hyde Amendment — and it's about time https://t.co/WHR8jRzwMl" / Twitter
noting
AOC & Ayanna Pressley Working To Repeal Hyde Amendment - "This op-ed was written by U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee (California), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts), and Jan Schakowsky (Illinois)."

Last week, in partnership with the thousands of women of color and young people across this country organizing in their communities and mobilizing in the streets to repeal Hyde, we filed an amendment to finally repeal the Hyde Amendment from the annual funding bill that will be considered on the House floor this week.

 

[Tigers!]

Raising this issue now is also an important way to differentiate among the Presidential candidates in the primary. Biden famously did an abrupt about-face on it back in June or July of this year, reversing his stance after decades of supporting it and having supported it just two days earlier.

If Biden changed so abruptly is he just a weathervane i.e. he will say whatever will gather him the most votes?