EMILYs List Statement on the Anniversary of the Hyde Amendment

For Immediate Release
September 30, 2020

EMILYs List Statement on the Anniversary of the Hyde Amendment

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in recognition of the 44th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, which blocks federal Medicaid funding for abortion services, EMILYs List President Stephanie Schriock released the following statement:

“The Hyde Amendment has institutionalized unequal access to reproductive care, and it has disproportionately hurt low-income women and women of color. Federal funding for abortion services should support all women regardless of income or zip code. Access to health care, the Affordable Care Act, and our right to make our own health care decisions are all on the ballot in November and we have to vote to keep them off the chopping block of Donald Trump and Republicans. The Biden-Harris administration will champion women’s health care, and it's imperative that we elect pro-choice Democratic women up and down the ballot this November who will fight alongside them to advance our reproductive freedoms and protect access to vital health care resources for all women.” 

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $600 million to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 150 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and nearly 1,100 women to state and local office. Nearly 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. During the historic 2017-2018 cycle, EMILYs List raised a record-breaking $110 million and launched a record independent expenditure campaign. We helped elect 34 new women to the House, including 24 red-to-blue victories; enough seats to have delivered the U.S. House majority alone. Since the 2016 election, more than 55,000 women have reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state, and national offices.