Vitter Lauds 40 Years of Life-Saving Hyde Amendment

Press Release

U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) today released the following statement recognizing the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits tax dollars from being used to pay for abortions.
"The Hyde Amendment represented a pivotal moment in the pro-life movement by restricting the use of federal funds for abortions, and I am glad to see that 40 years later, we are still protecting the lives of unborn children and taxpayers from pro-abortion advocates," said Vitter. "Protecting the sanctity of life has been one of my top priorities while serving in Congress. I will continue pushing to close all loopholes that provide for taxpayer-funded abortions or that allow Americans' hard-earned tax dollars to flow into the pockets of abortion mills."
September 30, 2016, marks the 40 year anniversary of the passage of the Hyde Amendment, the annual appropriations provision originally offered by Congressman Henry Hyde in 1976 that prohibits taxpayer funding of abortion. Before enactment of the amendment, the Medicaid program was funding approximately 300,000 abortions each year. Not only does the long-standing policy have bipartisan support, it is supported by a large majority of Americans.
Vitter has been a pro-life champion in the U. S. Senate and has introduced legislation every Congress since 2006 that would prohibit federal family planning funds from being awarded to any grantee that performs abortions by amending the Public Health Service Act.
In March 2016, Vitter, along with U.S. Representatives Diane Black (R-Tenn.) and Pete Olson (R-Texas) led a group of more than 120 Members of Congress requesting the GAO to investigate how taxpayer funding is specifically used by Planned Parenthood and other federally funded organizations that perform or promote abortion. In April, GAO announced they would conduct the investigation in response to the Members' request. Click here to read more. Vitter, Black, and Olsen requested a similar report in 2013, which GAO released in 2015 finding widespread taxpayer funding for abortion advocacy organizations, including Planned Parenthood. Click here to read more and click here to read the 2015 GAO report.
Vitter has been a consistent advocate for the sanctity of human life in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, earning a 100% pro-life voting record from the National Right to Life Committee.

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