Joe Biden says he can 'no longer support' the Hyde Amendment

(Image credit: Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

last updated 7 June 2019

Former Vice President Joe Biden announced on Thursday night that he has reversed course and now thinks the Hyde Amendment should be repealed.

"We now see so many Republican governors denying health care to millions of the poorest and most vulnerable Americans by refusing even Medicaid expansion," the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate said during an appearance in Atlanta. "I can't justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and the ability to exercise their constitutionally protected right. If I believe health care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone's ZIP code."

The Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when a woman's life is in jeopardy. Biden is Catholic, and earlier this week he said again that while he believes Roe v. Wade should be upheld, he also was in favor of the Hyde Amendment. Several of his fellow Democratic candidates made statements slamming the amendment, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.