The American Civil Liberties Union Rights for All campaign and All* Above All Action Fund launched a digital postcard campaign for 1.5 million supporters to demand that Biden strengthen his commitment to ending the Hyde Amendment and all abortion coverage restrictions, ahead of the Democratic Convention. The campaign will run for two weeks and culminate in a mass delivery to Biden’s Philadelphia headquarters.
Last spring, an ACLU Rights for All volunteer secured a commitment from Biden that, if elected, he would work to end Hyde, a harmful, decades-old ban on abortion coverage for people enrolled in Medicaid and other insurance programs. This represented a reversal from his decades-long held stance.
While he has reaffirmed this commitment, he has yet to tell voters how exactly he will abolish Hyde and other abortion coverage restrictions. Meanwhile, the Hyde Amendment continues to target and disproportionately harm people struggling to make ends meet, particularly women of color, as it has for more than 40 years. These are the same communities that face severe health care disparities and are now being hit hardest by the pandemic and economic crisis.
The following is a statement from Nicole Regalado, deputy director of ACLU’s Liberty Division:
“In the midst of a public health emergency that disproportionately harms communities of color, it is urgent we dismantle discriminatory barriers to health care, including abortion coverage bans. While Biden committed to ending the Hyde Amendment over a year ago, he has yet to release a plan to do so — and those details matter. Access to abortion should not be restricted based on where you live, how much money you make, or what type of insurance you have. There is too much at stake to continue a health care system that explicitly denies abortion access to those living at the margins.”
The following is a statement from Morgan Hopkins, All* Above All Action Fund:
“Let’s be clear: it’s not enough for abortion to be legal, it must also be affordable and available to all people, however much money they have or however they get their insurance. This is a crucial moment for Black and brown communities, women, LGBTQ folks, immigrants, and young people who will not accept empty promises from our candidates. To build safer and stronger communities, we need concrete commitments. We urge Joe Biden to release the specific actions he will take to undo the harmful legacy of the Hyde Amendment and end abortion coverage bans.”
