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Dear John,
When the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) was introduced in 2009, it passed both chambers of Congress without a single Republican vote. But beyond the partisan divide, something even more troubling was quietly embedded in the law: a lack of safeguards against taxpayer funding of abortion.
Since 1976, the Hyde Amendment, a provision contained in the annual Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) appropriations bill, has prevented the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from paying for elective abortions in its programs.
Hyde established a simple, commonsense principle that a majority of Americans still support today: no taxpayer should be forced to fund a deeply divisive and morally repugnant activity like abortion.
However, Obamacare was designed to bypass Hyde. It does this by directly appropriating taxpayer funds for healthcare plans. As a result, there are no safeguards preventing Obamacare from funding plans that cover abortions.
And during the COVID pandemic, the Biden administration and its allies dramatically expanded Obamacare subsidies, further allowing taxpayer dollars to flow toward plans that include abortion coverage.
Now, as lawmakers begin negotiating new approaches to healthcare coverage, President Trump has called for conservatives to be "flexible" on the Hyde Amendment, according to his own political calculus.
As far as I'm concerned, the only flexibility needed is for the government to allow taxpayers to get out of the abortion business.
Because once an exception is made -- once the principle is surrendered -- there is no going back. History shows us that when moral lines are blurred, they are rarely redrawn. What happens once will happen again until the exception becomes the rule.
This is not simply another policy debate. It is a test of whether our nation will continue to affirm the inherent dignity of every human life -- and whether believers will remain faithful when the pressure to compromise grows intense.
That is why your partnership with Family Research Council is so critical right now.
Your support makes it possible for FRC to educate lawmakers, churches, and everyday Americans on what is truly at stake for the unborn and why longstanding protections, like the Hyde Amendment, matter more than ever.
STAND FOR LIFE WITH FRC
As this debate continues in real time, our team of policy experts is working tirelessly to educate lawmakers about the importance of Hyde.
To that end, we have developed a new educational resource dedicated specifically to the Hyde Amendment entitled: 50 Years of the Hyde Amendment: The American People's Line in the Sand.
This clear, accessible resource is designed to equip lawmakers and concerned citizens with a firm understanding of the history and importance of the Hyde Amendment and why its annual renewal is essential to protecting both the unborn and the conscience rights of taxpayers.
And despite what some claim, keeping taxpayer money away from a deeply divisive issue like abortion is not new, radical, or unpopular.
In fact, a clear majority of Americans -- 57% -- still oppose being compelled to fund abortions. And just last year, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which included a step that began the process of defunding abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood.
Being "flexible" on Hyde would be an enormous, misguided step in the opposite direction.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill need to hear -- clearly and consistently -- that compromising on the issue of taxpayer-funded abortion is unacceptable. That's why I signed a letter alongside dozens of other pro-life leaders urging the administration and House and Senate leadership not to abandon Hyde.
By giving today, you help ensure that this message reaches those who need it most -- on Capitol Hill, in the administration, and in communities across the country -- and you help FRC remain a steady, trusted voice for life, especially in moments like these where moral courage is in short supply.
I STAND WITH FRC
As Scripture reminds us, "Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter" (Proverbs 24:11 ESV).
For nearly half a century, the Hyde Amendment has helped do just that. And with your partnership, we will continue to stand for the most defenseless among us -- confident that truth, spoken in love, still has the power to change hearts and shape the future.
Thankfully, there are still bold men and women on Capitol Hill willing to stand for the unborn. As Speaker Mike Johnson recently shared with me, "We are going to defend the sanctity of life, and the protections are sacrosanct here. ... Taxpayer funding will never be authorized to pay for abortion. Period."
While Speaker Johnson's words are encouraging, we cannot afford to assume that others will not be swayed by the many voices vying for compromise. Times like these remind us that biblical truth -- and the conviction that every life is made in the image of God -- will always be under pressure from the world to compromise.
The question is whether we will obey man rather than God.
As for me and the rest of the team at Family Research Council, the answer is an emphatic declaration that we will obey God -- not man!
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2026 Family Research Council.