U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger supports Hyde Amendment

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger signed a letter Tuesday supporting the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal taxpayer funds from being used to perform abortions.

The Channahon Republican was not alone, as 200 other House Republicans signed a letter opposing a repeal of the Hyde Amendment. Those Republicans, however, also said they would not support funding any bill that includes language permitting the use of federal funding for abortion.

“Abortion remains one of the most divisive issues of our time,” Kinzinger said in a Wednesday tweet. “However, Americans from both sides of the divide agree that taxpayer funds should not be used. The Hyde Amendment has been in place for almost half a century and it must be retained.”

Each year since 1976, the GOP said Congress has included Hyde protections in annually enacted appropriations, “including the eight years President Obama was in office,” Kinzinger said.

A growing number of House Democrats have sought to remove the language, saying it affects women’s health care and is discriminatory in nature.

Nine states provide funding for abortion pursuant to a court order, and seven fund abortions voluntarily using state dollars. Thirty-three states deny state funding to women seeking access to abortion.

In his letter, Kinzinger said the Hyde Amendment includes “common-sense exceptions for cases of incest and rape, or if the life of the mother is in danger.”