Legal Definitions - Hyde Amendment

The Hyde Amendment is a law that says that Medicaid funds cannot be used to pay for abortions, except when the mother's life is in danger. It also says that family-planning programs that receive federal funding cannot provide counseling about abortion.

For example, if a woman on Medicaid wants to have an abortion, she would have to pay for it herself or find another way to pay for it. And if a family-planning clinic gets money from the government, they cannot talk to their patients about getting an abortion.

The Hyde Amendment was named after Representative Henry Hyde from Illinois, who sponsored the bill.