If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand~ Mark 3:25 NIV

The Hyde amendment became law on September 30^th, 1976. The amendment was named for its chief sponsor, Henry J. Hyde. It forbids the use of federal tax dollars to pay for abortions. In the three years prior to Hyde taxpayers footed the bill for an average of 300,000 abortions per year (Google it). 

Until recently Biden held firmly to the conviction that the Hyde amendment was a necessary tool to ensure fairness for both sides. The passing of Hyde still allowed abortion to take place in every state and in nearly every situation imaginable. It also prevented those opposed to abortion from being forced to pay for it. Mr. Biden has repeatedly stated that while he is personally opposed to abortion he does not feel it’s his place to tell others what they should or shouldn’t believe about such a weighty issue. He also believed until last week that those opposed to abortion should not be forced to pay for abortions. Apparently, presidential campaigns have a way of messing with one’s deeply held convictions. 

Sigh.

I get that there are mammoth partisan rifts concerning this issue. It is fair to say that the vast majority of Democrats are in favor of abortion with few if any restrictions while most Republicans are opposed to abortion or are in favor of placing some limitations on the practice. Forty percent (give or take) of the country is firmly opposed to abortion. Forty percent (give or take) is totally for abortion. Then there are the twenty percent (or so) who fall into the mushy middle where they don’t love abortion but don’t want to see it outlawed either.

I believe life begins at conception. I also believe life is a gift from God. I believe that every human being who draws breath (no matter how messy, frail or damaged they may be) bears within them the indelible image of Almighty God.  Because I believe those things I also believe with every fiber of my being that human life is unique and special and should be cherished and protected at every stage. It should come as no surprise that I am a supporter of the Hyde amendment.  

All that being said, the purpose of this piece is not to argue about when life begins, or even whether or not human life should be protected. Nor, am I interested in debating whether or not it is fair to women to outlaw abortion or even if abortion should be outlawed. 

Those are subjects for another day. 

Today, I simply wish to begin a discussion concerning a few scenarios that might possibly come to pass if Biden is elected and the Hyde amendment is repealed. 

First:

Our nation will become more sharply divided politically-

Sadly, this is a statement of fact rather than a hazy possibility. The Hyde amendment has permitted a country that is sharply divided over a controversial issue to live together in relative harmony. This has been good for everyone. Forcing pro-life people to pay for a procedure they find morally loathsome will do nothing to bridge our ever-growing political divide.  

The federal government might possibly get into the abortion business- 

 There are a lot of folks wringing their hands about “the lack of access” to abortion in small rural towns. It is not a massive leap of logic to conclude that at least a few of those handwringers would really love to get their hands on some federal tax dollars to open clinics in areas they feel are underserved. That would put the federal government solidly in the abortion business. 

The cost of abortion could skyrocket- 

Anytime the federal government begins financing something the cost of that thing tends to rise steeply. College tuition is a classic example. The price of college tuition has increased steadily as the government has underwrote loans for higher education. According to Business Insider, college tuition rose an average of 260% between 1980 and 2014. There is no reason to believe the same thing wouldn’t happen with abortion if the government were to begin underwriting the cost of it. Admittedly, I have mixed feelings concerning this point. On one hand, I really don’t care how much an abortion costs, unless of course I am paying for it with my tax dollars. Then I care a great deal.  

Minority populations could be further decimated-

One unintended consequence of abortion has been an insidious form of ethnic cleansing in minority communities. African-American pastor and pro-life activist Clenard Childress Jr. warns that if the abortion rate among black women is not reduced swiftly the black vote will become statistically insignificant by 2038 (that’s less than two decades, for the mathematically challenged). Furthermore, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute (a pro-abortion think tank) a black woman is five timesmore likely to have an abortion than a white woman. A study done by the Working Poor Families Projectrevealed that working poor families are three times as likely to be headed by a minority parent.  It is reasonable to believe that if abortion were free to poor women there could be increased social and economic pressure placed on low-income minority women to abort. This could mean a tragic end to the diversity and beauty that minority populations bring to the U.S. 

The Hyde amendment has saved countless lives. It has also been instrumental in keeping the political peace in this country for more than four decades.  The key to keeping the Hyde amendment law and holding back further pro-abortion legislation is for Christian people to vote biblically in this upcoming election .