40 Days for Life activists rally outside abortion clinics
Pro-life activists with 40 Days for Life gather outside abortion clinics nationwide. (Credit: 40 Days for Life)
Pro-life groups are warning President Donald Trump that the Hyde Amendment is "non-negotiable" after he told Republicans to be "flexible" on it when trying to pass health care legislation.
In a press release Tuesday from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America entitled "Leading Pro-Life Group to Trump, GOP: Hyde Is Non-Negotiable," its president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, said Trump should not consider stripping Hyde protections from a health care deal.
"For decades, opposition to taxpayer funding of abortion and support for the Hyde Amendment has been an unshakable bedrock principle and a minimum standard in the Republican Party," Dannenfelser said. "To suggest Republicans should be ‘flexible’ is an abandonment of this decades-long commitment. If Republicans abandon Hyde, they are sure to lose this November."
TRUMP STAYS ON SIDELINES AS GOP FALTERS IN PUSH TO UNITE ON HEALTHCARE PLAN
Pro-life groups are warning President Donald Trump that the Hyde Amendment is "non-negotiable" after he told Republicans to be "flexible" on it when trying to pass health care legislation. (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Hyde Amendment, named for Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., was first passed in 1976. It prohibits the use of federal funds for most elective abortions.
"Now, you have to be a little flexible on Hyde," Trump said Tuesday during remarks to House Republicans at the Kennedy Center.
"You know that you got to be a little flexible," Trump added. "You got to work something. You got to use ingenuity. You got to work."
Republicans want to keep the Hyde Amendment protections part of health care negotiations, while Democrats are opposed to including the amendment.
GOP WRESTLES WITH OBAMACARE FIX AS TRUMP LOOMS OVER SUBSIDY FIGHT
The Hyde Amendment, named for Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., was first passed in 1976. It prohibits use of federal funds for most elective abortions. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
In her statement, Dannenfelser said that Republicans should not waver from their principles.
"The voters sent a GOP trifecta to Washington, and they expect it to govern like one," Dannenfelser said. "Giving in to Democrat demands that our tax dollars are used to fund plans that cover abortion on demand until birth would be a massive betrayal."
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, took to X to voice support for Hyde.
"Hyde must be included in any Obamacare reform bill or it will be a pro-abortion vote," Hawkins wrote.
In another post on X, Hawkins wrote, "I guess Republicans, including President Trump, still need to learn political history. Kicking the pro-life movement to the curb never ends well in elections for the GOP."
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
In Trump’s executive order last January, "Enforcing the Hyde Amendment," Trump criticized the Biden administration for "embedding forced taxpayer funding of elective abortions in a wide variety of Federal programs," adding it "is the policy of the United States, consistent with the Hyde Amendment, to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion." (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The move marks a strong contrast from Trump’s executive order last January, "Enforcing the Hyde Amendment," in which Trump criticized the Biden administration for "embedding forced taxpayer funding of elective abortions in a wide variety of Federal programs," adding it "is the policy of the United States, consistent with the Hyde Amendment, to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
