(Washington Stand) Seldom in public life is it possible for a legislator to say that a measure he or she authored directly saved millions of human lives. That distinction exists for what has proven to be one of the most durable pro-life bills ever enacted, the Hyde Amendment, which blocks the use of federal funds to pay for abortions.
Today is the 50th anniversary of the 312-93 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to enact the amendment by overriding President Gerald Ford’s veto of the appropriations bill that contained it. Ford’s veto had been on fiscal grounds and not objection to Hyde, which enjoyed broad bipartisan support for much of its existence.
The eminent statistician Michael J. New, Ph.D., has worked over the years to document the continuing impact of Hyde’s legislation.