Sign the petition to repeal Hyde! Restore Medicaid funding for abortions for low-income women!

George Bush gave Henry Hyde the Medal of Freedom today, although his most important legislative achievement, the "Hyde Amendment," has served for thirty years to deny low income women the right to terminate pregnancies under Medicaid. I urge our readers to support this petition. Repealing the Hyde Amendment is will be a step forward in winning back the United States from the reactionaries who have used such issues to sow division and hatred among the people.

Norman Markowitz

*The following is endorsed by the National Women's Fight back Network, an affiliate of the International Action Center:*

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Dear Friend,

*Abortion is still legal in the U.S., but every year thousands of women are denied this right because they don't have the money to pay for needed health care. *

Low-income women are often forced to use money they need for food and rent to cover the cost of an abortion. Many women cannot raise enough money and must continue the pregnancy and stay trapped in poverty. Women face this difficult situation because in 1976 Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, which excludes abortion from government-funded health care programs.

Women enrolled in Medicaid and similar programs receive coverage for all medically necessary health care services, including prenatal care, labor, and delivery. However, as a result of the Hyde Amendment, a woman
enrolled in Medicaid is denied assistance in most circumstances if the care she needs is an abortion.

We urge you to join the /Hyde – 30 Years is Enough! Campaign/ demanding an end to this injustice! *Sign our petition http://www.hyde30years.nnaf.org/petition.html calling on Congress to repeal the Hyde Amendment and restore coverage of abortion for low-income women. *

*Sign the petition http://www.hyde30years.nnaf.org/petition.html and make your voice heard!* Our goal is to collect 20,000 signatures to deliver to Congress by January 22, 2008. With your help we can meet this goal! *Please forward this email to your friends and colleagues and encourage them to sign. *

By signing the petition, you join a strong, national effort called the /Hyde – 30 Years is Enough! Campaign/
http://www.hyde30years.nnaf.org/. The campaign is led by the National Network of Abortion Funds http://www.nnaf.org, a network of groups that raise money to help women cover the cost of abortions. A complete list of organizations participating in the campaign can be found here.

*Please join us and sign the petition now! http://www.hyde30years.nnaf.org/petition.html

Together, we can create a society in which all women have the power and resources necessary to make healthy decisions about their bodies and families. *

Thank you,

The Hyde – 30 Years is Enough! Campaign
www.hyde30years.nnaf.org