The Man Behind the Hyde Amendment
The Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger, is one of the most controversial and important amendments in American history. Most people...
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The Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger, is one of the most controversial and important amendments in American history. Most people know the amendment’s main sponsor, Henry Hyde, but few know the man who wrote it. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the humble man behind it all, Paul Haring.
Who is Paul Haring?
A devout Catholic, Haring earned his undergraduate degree from the University of St. Thomas and then his LLB, now known as a JD, from the University of Texas Law School. He became a civil lawyer and worked in Texas before moving to Washington, D.C., where he took a job with the IRS.
He took his first action against abortion in 1971 after discovering that a hospital in San Antonio was quietly flying women in to get abortions. Haring, with help from his former law professor, filed a lawsuit that resulted in likely the only temporary injunction prohibiting abortion for any amount of time.
The First Attempt
Soon after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling in 1973, Paul Haring again felt a call to action. H.R. 15580, an appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health, Education, Welfare, and other related agencies was about to be debated in Congress. Haring decided to write an amendment for it.
After several phone calls, Haring got in contact with New York Rep. Angelo Roncallo, who agreed to sponsor his amendment.
“That night,” Haring told The American Spectator, “I asked for permission to take time off from my job. That [next] night, I wrote an amendment and also wrote a speech for the congressman.”
On June 27, 1974, at 10 p.m., what would eventually become the Hyde Amendment was first debated.
“I put a provision in there to try to help overturn Roe v. Wade,” Haring told me.
The provision defined life as beginning at conception, while Roe v. Wade was based on the notion that science did not know when life started.
“I didn’t know that that provision was not allowed!” he laughs.
The amendment was dropped, rewritten, and brought back the next day, but was ultimately removed from the bill.
The Making of Hyde
In 1976, a new appropriations bill was being considered. Haring looked for a new sponsor for his amendment. This time, it was freshman congressman Henry Hyde.
The amendment faced fierce opposition.
“They had a big fight between the House and the Senate,” Haring recalls after the Senate removed the amendment, though it had been passed by the House.
The amendment was eventually included in the bill, but President Gerald Ford vetoed it, claiming it spent too much money.
Congress overturned the veto, however, and it became law in 1976.
Today
The amendment has changed over time and does not prohibit state Medicaid from covering abortions. It has suffered many attacks and even caused a government shutdown.
Paul Haring remains staunchly pro-life.
“There should be no abortion. I think the court should interpret the 14th Amendment as prohibiting abortion,” he argues. “And no one has the right to take the life of somebody else, right?”
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