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gooooood morning everyone, happy tuesday. at 10am i'll be live tweeting this hearing on the Hyde Amendment. before it gets started, let me drop you some background on Hyde from @RewireNewsGroup #TeamLegal
this piece from @AllyBoguhn lays out, well, everything you need to know about the Hyde Amendment; a piece of legislation that prohibits federal money from providing abortions: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2019/06/21/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-hyde-amendment-and-efforts-to-end-it/
if you like a listicle (who doesn't) this from @evalineshen is a very good breakdown of some of the key reasons the Hyde Amendment is T R A S H TRASH https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2019/09/27/ten-reasons-folks-should-care-about-the-hyde-amendment/
a quick TLDR; the Hyde Amendment was passed in 1976 and essentially it means anyone relying on government health insurance cannot use their coverage for abortion.
there are a narrow group of states that have laws that allow state dollars to be used for abortion but where you live should not determine your access to critical healthcare
like all abortion restrictions, Hyde comes down the hardest on marginalized folks and it's important to note that Black women and POC have been at the forefront of this fight since 1976.
and like all abortion restrictions, the Hyde outright endangers pregnant people. in 1978, Rosie Jiménez needed an abortion, but unable to afford one without insurance coverage she turned to an unsafe abortion, and the procedure killed her. https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2017/10/03/rosie-remembering-hyde-amendments-first-victim/
but you don't have to take it from me. @RewireNewsGroup compiled an amazing group of abortion stories on the impact of Hyde and you can check that out here: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2020/09/30/an-inside-look-at-the-harm-created-by-insurance-bans-on-abortion/
alright everyone here we go! it's starting!
Chairwoman @rosadelauro kicks things off calling Hyde a discriminatory policy; "the time has come to reckon with the status quo." Calls for an understanding of how these policies affect communities of color.
calls women living in states where they cannot use state funds to pay for abortion "hostage" to their states; points out that the average abortion costs more than $500 and can exceed $1000. "this does not exclude costs for time off from work, childcare, etc."
points out that women living in rural communities are often hit hardest as they can be forced to travel ~50 miles for abortion care
points to a study linking adverse mental health outcomes with being denied a wanted abortion. (this is a huge deal fucking study because abortion regret is such a common and false trope from anti's)
also want to note -- as i live tweet i might use "women" to quote or refer to what folks at the hearing are saying but it's important to stress that people of all genders can and do get pregnant and have abortions and i will be using gender neutral language as much as possible
"more than half of the women affected by the hyde amendment are women of color" - @rosadelauro
turns to ranking member Tom Cole who says he'll start with some personal remarks. he's a white man so "personal remarks" is not a comforting statement but Rosa seemed endeared to him so we will allow it
why is this man talking ab how he'd prefer at republican majority at a hearing on abortion. sir keep it moving.
@TomColeOK04 calls Hyde a "contentious" issue; says hes going to be "fairly forceful" on this issue which is a gross turn of phrase
he is now??? saying?? that the hyde amendment?? saved?? lives??? of people of color???? because it stopped abortions??
@TomColeOK04 is sad that Biden indicated he wouldn't support the hyde amendment boo hoo let me play a song for you on the world's smallest violin
since he name checked religious rights, let me just drop this here https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2020/08/17/denying-abortion-coverage-is-not-a-religious-value/
love when people like @TomColeOK04 use "pro abortion" like its a bad thing. we should have pro abortion laws!!! abortion is good medicine!!!
"it's not healthcare for women" - @TomColeOK04 on abortion
god it is SO gross to hear this old white guy say "women of color" this many times as a justification for restricting abortion.
"abortion capitulates to despair...we should ask if abortion is structurally racist" -- @TomColeOK04 making me want to be put in an induced coma right now
he says repealing the hyde amendment will mean "more Black lives lost" i am SCUH REAMING.
up now is @NitaLowey; @rosadelauro spent a bit talking about Nita's longterm support for abortion rights. Lowey says she has been fighting for repro rights for decades; recalls when these fights were BIPARTISAN.
Lowey laments that hyde and other restrictions "continue to attack the dignity" or pregnant people. says it creates two realities; one for women of means, one for women without -- with a particular impact on women of color.
she says that the fact that the hyde amendment continues to sit on the books is a "disgrace" -- says no matter how people feel about abortion, we need to understand the harms and real life consequences of Hyde
"it deserves to be in the dust bin of history" - @NitaLowey on Hyde
Dr. Herminia Palacio, president and ceo of @Guttmacher is up as the first witness and we have no choice but to fucking stan
"my patients experience firsthand how supportive or oppressive state policies can be"
"abortion is a healthcare experience shared by many people" Palacio points out. 1/4 cis women will have an abortion in their lifetime; points out that trans individuals also require the full range of abortion care
Palacio says she will support her points with science and facts which i'm sure are both foreign concepts to @TomColeOK04
she starts by talking at length about the impact of Hyde on WOC; "as our country undergoes a racial reckoning, i want to be very clear -- the Hyde amendment is a racist policy" @HerminiaPalacio
her final point is that statistics show that the hyde amendment forces a number of women to continue their pregnancies; says the US has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed country and this hits WOC the worst.
she says hyde forces women to continue their pregnancies in a country where Black and brown women are more likely to die from pregnancy related issues
next up @Reprorightsdoc; she says she is not a politician, but she is a doctor and she is speaking directly to the lived experiences of patients affected by the hyde amendment
says patients often are faced with the decision to pay their bills, or carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term because of the hyde amendment; points out that those forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy are more likely to live below the poverty line; stay w/ abusive partners
"for my entire career, the hyde amendment has been used to intentionally limit my ability to give patients the care they need... abortion is healthcare, abortion should not be singled out." - @Reprorightsdoc
"ACOG has identified abortion as an essential health service that requires TIMELY care" - @Reprorightsdoc
next up we have @amandabeatrizTX, ED of @lilithfund -- the oldest abortion fund in texas
amanda reiterates that these bans come down the hardest on marginalized women; points out that in many cases they function like outright bans
"the harms of the hyde amendment are further compounded by other abortion restrictions," she says pointing to laws like ultrasound bills.
lists the costs associated w/ abortion aside from the procedure itself; travel, time off work, lodging. and notes that TX also prohibits private insurers from covering abortion so all abortions are out of pocket
@amandabeatrizTX speaks at length about the impact of Covid on abortion care in TX; the state shuttered access for an entire month forcing texans to travel out of state for care
she also points out that the financial burden of covid exacerbates all of this
she is now speaking on her own abortion story; she says the decision to have an abortion was easy -- the path to paying for it was not. "everyone having an abortion deserves to be met by someone who loves and cares for them in a respectful way."
she closes with the story of Rosie Jimenez; she is unequivocal "Rose died because of the Hyde Amendment" -- more on Rosie's story here: https://twitter.com/ms_creilly/status/1336323449443119104?s=20
the closing witness is Christina Bennett, the communications director of the family institute of Connecticut; she is "pro life" (anti-abortion) and lauds the hyde amendment for forcing women to carry pregnancies to term??????
woooooooof what did she just say about baby parts??????
she is now talking about botched abortions that leave women infertile which is truly just bullshit; abortion is an incredibly safe procedure.
some further reading on the race and abortion: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2010/02/18/stop-perpetuating-myths-about-black-women-abortion/
bennett also name checked margaret sanger and eugenics; as always @AngryBlackLady here to address that bullshit https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2015/08/20/false-narratives-margaret-sanger-used-shame-black-women/
first question for the witnesses is about the impact of covid on abortion; @HerminiaPalacio takes it saying that COVID-19 exacerbates already existing barriers to access, including Hyde
"this is a matter of dignity, this is a matter of getting the affordable care when they need it. making decisions about when to have children and how many children to have doesn't stop because of a global pandemic" - @HerminiaPalacio
healthcare shouldn't depend on where you live or how much money you make, adds @Reprorightsdoc. health insurance should cover the full range of reproductive healthcare.
one through line w/ cole and bennett's testimony is that repealing the hyde amendment would be "coercive" which is such a weird and gross and illogical argument
oh joy @TomColeOK04 is now going to ask a question, he goes with 'do you think insurance should cover abortion on demand at any stage of pregnancy'
@HerminiaPalacio puts him in his fucking place and is just like "this is healthcare, ofc it should be covered by insurance"
@Reprorightsdoc "healthcare is a human right" -- she says people should have access to abortion regardless of their abortion coverage. makes the critical point that this isn't either or -- these people also need prenatal care, childcare etc.
@amandabeatrizTX hits him with the "rich people will always get abortions" and we fucking stan. she says the hyde amendment says a stigmatizing message that says certain people do not deserve healthcare; we need to change the message to one of compassion and support
bennett says that abortion is a "destructive act" that involves dismembering a body and throwing it into a trashcan and i have not had enough fucking coffee for this.
@TomColeOK04 shockingly has a follow up for bennett; asks how we can "support" pregnant women. she talks about her time working at a "pregnancy resource center" which... can someone confirm for me? she means a CPC right?
@NitaLowey now has a question for @HerminiaPalacio; returning to the story of rosie jimenez who "died in agony after a botched back alley procedure. we have failed rosie, and women like her."
lowey asks @HerminiaPalacio to expand on how Hyde harms WOC
"reproductive autonomy is about assuming they have the agency to make decisions for themselves; that they have the capacity to make decisions for themselves" - @HerminiaPalacio
"there is a direct line from the fact that enslaved people were told they couldn't parent their children; there is a direct line from the way that Black bodies have been experimented on [to Hyde]" - @HerminiaPalacio
lowey now asks @Reprorightsdoc to speak about her patients specifically; has she had a patient unable to afford abortion, what are the risks to delaying abortion
@Reprorightsdoc says it is common that patients don't have insurance coverage for abortion services; "it creates a situation where people are making very difficult decisions." points out these people are often parents; they know what it is like to parent
rep andy harris speaking with a really fucking condescending tone to @Reprorightsdoc and i commend her for not just outright telling him off. he says there are not barriers, "no that's not correct" she tells him.
this fucker is really using the term "abortoinist" ???????
oh my god he is talking about how PP sells body parts; asks bennett to talk about how PP is apparently covering? up? the? sexual? abuse? of their patients? from live action LMAOOOOO these people are next level bananas
bennett name checks parental involvement laws as problematic in this regard because apparently young women who are assaulted by a parent should have to get that parent's permission to have an abortion?
oh thank god @RepBarbaraLee is up
"i remember the days of back alley abortions, i remember the days before roe v. wade. i remember the heartbreaking decisions" - @RepBarbaraLee
she asks @HerminiaPalacio to discuss the history of racism and hyde; palacio says these are not accidental connections. "where we are now is a direct line from where we have been"
@HerreraBeutler is up talking about how a fetus is it’s own life. Says we need to acknowledge the “personhood” of the “other life” 
She’s now saying that PP was founded to get rid of Black people, essentially pls see my earlier tweet this is getting exhausting
Bennett says Hyde “encourages” abortion. “I have been outside of abortion clinics” ahhh ok so you’ve harassed patients
Up now is @MarkPocan; tees up a question for @HerminiaPalacio about the way Hyde singles out abortion care.
She says it otherizes low income women who seek abortion care. @Reprorightsdoc points out the same is true for IVF care etc., that poor women, the majority of whom are WOC are not given the ability to decide what is right for their body.
@JohnMoolenaar is up now talking about innocent lives blah blah blah
oh my god bennett talking about women who have been crying for 30 years from the "trauma of abortion" and she is going to give me a fucking aneurysm
@LoisFrankel up now; says hyde amendment is an example of racism -- points out that abortion is incredibly safe. roe v. wade, she says, gave women the right to abortion "if they can afford it"
"would you deny a poor woman to go to a church?" she says she asks her colleagues
asks @amandabeatrizTX about the way other state laws compound hyde and make access even MORE of a shit show; she talks about incurred costs -- childcare expenses, travel, etc.
she also points out how RIDICULOUS it is to require folks to travel IN A PANDEMIC to receive abortion care
there is this lil group of cool older ladies on this committee and i would like to know if i can be in their friend group pls.
bonnie watson coleman drop the skincare routine pls
@Reprorightsdoc is given the opportunity to clear up any misinformation that people said during the hearing; she says this is not binary "i'm a provider of healthcare, my job is to support my patients no matter what. the patients i take care of are making informed decisions."
"WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT ARE CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS" YES @Reprorightsdoc YES. she says she has cared for patients who have been misled to go to one of these fake clinics and held hostage there and told to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term
@Reprorightsdoc says if we want to remove coercion from repro care we need to lift all restrictions so people can make these decisions for themselves
oh god @TomColeOK04 is back talking ab how he had spaghetti for lunch. its noon???
TOM COLE JUST SAID HENRY HYDE DIDNT HAVE A RACIST BONE IN HIS BODY BABE WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING
this fucker is gonna make me lose my mind with how CPC’s are just a bunch of well meaning volunteers fuck off
@RepBarbaraLee points out that Hyde makes abortion harder to access for young ppl, Indigenous ppl, POC, queer and trans people.
“There is no right without access” - @amandabeatrizTX
this woman. talking ab how Hyde pays for the destruction of life. “Abortion is the failure to serve a woman in need” I wish someone served your makeup artist bc clearly they are in need of some training
I should have counted the number of times Bennett says “baby parts”
No one speaks about babies in grosser or more vulgar terms than anti’s.
This asshole is asking @Reprorightsdoc if she has a relationship with the fetus of her patient??????
Lois if you are reading this can we be friends
Lois frankel asks @amandabeatrizTX about CPC’s; she explains theyre coercive places where patients are often lied to about their pregnancy and abortion
Lois is like BEFORE I YIELD FUCK THE GAG RULE god we stan
Coleman says “this is about choice.” We also stan her and her perfect gray hair
Ok we’re wrapping up which is great news for me specifically because I have not eaten breakfast yet. Thank you for following along, fuck the Hyde Amendment, and follow @RewireNewsGroup for more on abortion, power, race, and how alllllll these issues intersect.
