JILLIAN WILLIAMS | FEB. 12, 2021 | OPINIONS

Passed on Sept. 30, 1976, the Hyde Amendment bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortions, except in cases of incest or rape or to save the life of the woman. In this case, federal funding includes the use of Medicaid and state-provided health insurance. Despite this provision, 17 states have overriding policies to combat this, using state funds to pay for abortions since the amendment only applies to federal funds. Planned Parenthood also overrides this amendment, since the organization receives 34 percent of their funding from the federal government, and the organization provides 27.5 percent of the abortions in America, despite being considered a form of health care. Since being enacted, the Hyde Amendment has been a very controversial piece of legislation. President Joe Biden has frequently changed his position on the existence of this amendment, demonstrating inconsistency in his policies.

President Biden helped enact the Hyde Amendment, voting in favor of it as a first-term senator in 1976. After the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case pronounced access to abortion a constitutional right, the Hyde Amendment provided a necessary clarification on how the government would handle abortions in terms of health care.

In an interview with ABC News in April of 2019, former Vice President Biden was questioned regarding his support of the amendment, since he viewed himself as a “progressive” politician but was one of the only candidates in the Democratic primary in support of upholding it. “If it makes you progressive that you are for ‘Medicare for All,’ that is not the standard constituted in the past as progressive,” Biden said. “Medicare for All” seeks to end private insurance and standardize health care as a government institution. This also encompasses abortion, thus to institute “Medicare for All” would require the nullification of the Hyde amendment.

On May 4, 2019, however, Biden said in response to a question from a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] that the Hyde Amendment “just can’t stay.” This enlivened ACLU representatives, causing them to continue to push the issue with the Biden campaign. After receiving continued pressure to clarify their stance on the issue, the Biden campaign announced on June 1 that the candidate had misheard the representative in question and that his support for the Hyde Amendment had not changed.

Only days later, on June 6, 2019, Biden publicly denounced the amendment in a speech at a Democratic National Committee event in Atlanta. This completely modified his previous position. In justification of this change, he only stated vaguely that “circumstances have changed”.

To remove the Hyde Amendment, instead employing the policy of “Medicare for All,” is to force all taxpayers to pay for abortions. Not only will most taxpayers never utilize this themselves, but many are also morally opposed on religious or principle grounds. In employing taxpayer dollars through federal health care to pay for abortions, the government would be asking people to compromise their statutes.

While this represents only one of many issues facing the presidency today, the Biden campaign’s flimsy and inconsistent policies don’t reflect well on the strength of his new administration. Biden’s constantly shifting attitude towards the Hyde Amendment demonstrates a lack of strong principles. He seems to side with whatever view is prompted of him in almost every instance, suggesting that his policies are based on whatever is currently most popular. This lack of commitment to either standard is a recipe for unstable leadership.

In the future, it is important for the administration to remain firm and transparent in their policies. While it is not unprecedented for one to change their stance on an issue, leaders should not compromise on core values. Strong leadership resists bending to the will of others.

Changing Policy On Unchanging Issues