Who is Henry Hyde? Illinois officials move to purge pro-life lawmaker’s name

CNA Staff, Feb 13, 2025 / 15:40 pm (CNA).

Local Democratic officials in Illinois are leading an effort to remove from government buildings the name of Henry J. Hyde, the late Republican congressman who lent his name to a significant pro-life federal policy that prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for most elective abortions.

The Democratic-controlled board of DuPage County, a wealthy suburban jurisdiction just west of Chicago, voted 10-5 earlier this week to remove Hyde’s name from the county courthouse and related offices in Wheaton because of Hyde’s opposition to abortion.

The courthouse will now be known as the DuPage County Judicial Office Facility, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“This resolution reinforces the notion that the buildings on this campus support the rights of all people to receive the services they need. I believe our actions should reflect our values,” board chair Deb Conroy, a Democrat, said.

The “Hyde Amendment” prohibits the use of Medicaid taxpayer funds for most elective abortions but includes exceptions for cases involving rape, incest, or a maternal mortality risk.

Congress first enacted the amendment championed by Hyde in 1976, shortly after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide until the Supreme Court overturned it in 2022.

Since the policy is not permanent law, it must be attached to individual appropriations bills as a rider, specifying that the health care funding therein cannot be used for elective abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake. 

Who was Henry Hyde?

Hyde, who died in 2007, represented parts of DuPage County in the U.S. House of Representatives beginning in 1975. He was a Catholic, and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 named him a knight of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great, an honor the pope bestows to recognize merit and service. 

The move by the DuPage County Board provoked a variety of reactions after it was publicized, with many commentators calling it a mistake, including Democratic strategist David Axelrod, who called it a “regrettable move.”

Hyde’s son, Anthony, told “EWTN News Nightly” this week that he and his family had heard “rumblings” for the last couple of years about lawmakers wanting to remove his father’s name, an action he called “part of the cancel culture.”

“My father was far more than just a one-issue politician. My father did a lot of great things for DuPage County … my father was also somebody who helped families. He supported tax breaks for low-income families and for children. He was a strong proponent of adoption services as an alternative to abortion,” Anthony Hyde said. 

“He understood that you can’t care for the unborn child only. You certainly need to care for the unborn child, but after nine months you just can’t walk away and say, ‘Well, you’re on your own.’“

Though the provision enjoyed bipartisan support in the past, many pro-abortion advocates and Democratic lawmakers have voiced opposition to the Hyde Amendment in recent years.

Former President Joe Biden, a supporter of legal abortion, repeatedly excluded the Hyde Amendment from his budget requests despite supporting the amendment years ago as a senator. 

In contrast, President Donald Trump on Jan. 25 issued an executive order promoting the reinstatement of policies like the Hyde Amendment and the Mexico City policy — which prohibits overseas abortion funding — reversing actions taken by Biden during his term in office.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262203/who-is-henry-hyde-illinois-officials-move-to-purge-pro-life-lawmaker-s-name