Hartford, Conn., Jul 15, 2021 / 18:19 pm
The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus on Thursday registered his sorrow at the advancement by the appropriations committee of the US House of Representatives of a funding bill without including the usual prohibitions on abortion funding.
According to a committee summary, the appropriations bill, which funds the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education, provides for $253.8 billion for the 2022 fiscal year, an increase of 28% from the current year. It does not include the Hyde Amendment, federal policy since 1976 that prohibits funding of most elective abortions in Medicaid.
An amendment to include the Hyde Amendment in the appropriations bill failed at a July 15 markup hearing in a 27-32 vote. The legislation, without the Hyde Amendment, ultimately passed the committee by a vote of 33-25.
Patrick Kelly, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, commented that Knights “believe in the dignity and worth of every human life and support efforts that protect the unborn. We’re extremely disappointed by recent actions to take away longstanding bipartisan taxpayer and conscience protections including the Hyde Amendment.