New Research on Hyde in Louisiana Reaffirms the Cost of Abortion Restrictions

We’ve known for a long time that the Hyde Amendment—the ban on using federal funds like Medicaid to cover abortion in most cases—disproportionately harms people living in poverty, creating major income-based disparities in abortion access. But as advocates working to protect and expand access to abortion care in Louisiana—one of 34 states that generally follow the federal standards in barring public funding of most abortions—we were taken aback by new findings about the disastrous effect these restrictions have in our state.