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Tim Ryan Supports Repealing the Hyde Amendment

June 5, 2019

Tim Ryan, a congressman from Ohio and 2020 Democratic candidate for president, said he supports appealing the Hyde Amendment in an interview on MSNBC.

"A woman in the United States, no matter how much money she has or doesn't have, should be able to plan the size of her family. So I am pretty firm on this and I think we've got to be firm on it," Ryan said.

The Hyde Amendment bans federal funding for abortion services except in cases of rape, incest, or if there is a threat to the women's life. Abortion advocates say the Hyde Amendment is particularly harmful for women who rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage.

Fellow 2020 candidate and Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden has flip-flopped on the Hyde Amendment, first saying he would repeal it and now saying that he still supports it. This despite the Democratic party platform, which reads: "We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion—regardless of where she lives, how much money she makes, or how she is insured."

Other Democratic candidates for president have come out in favor of repealing the amendment.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has said on Twitter, "Abortion is a constitutional right. Under my Medicare for All plan, we will repeal the Hyde Amendment." Sen. Kamala Harris (D. Calif.) also tweeted, "No woman's access to reproductive health care should be based on how much money she has. We must repeal the Hyde Amendment."