As the federal government entered fiscal year 2027 on Oct. 1, we marked the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment's application to federal appropriations for Medicaid and other health programs in order to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund elective abortions.

When the late Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., first proposed his amendment in June 1976, it was supported by more than 100 House Democrats and a large majority of House Republicans.

Despite differing views about legal policy relating to abortion three years after the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, there was a bipartisan consensus in Congress that taxpayer money should not be used to fund a procedure that was morally objectionable to millions of Americans.

Following Hyde's enactment, abortion advocacy groups immediately sought to overturn it in the federal courts. After several years of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court held on April 21, 1980, that the Hyde Amendment was a proper exercise of congressional authority and that the government has a "legitimate interest" in "protecting potential human life."

Scientific advancements over the past 50 years demonstrate that we are not just talking........

© Townhall