Chicago Abortion Fund Statement on Hyde Amendment 50th Anniversary
Chicago Abortion Fund Statement on Hyde Amendment 50th Anniversary
Statement from Megan Jeyifo, Executive Director of the Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF):
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment’s passage, a piece of legislation that has fundamentally altered access to abortion care in this country. For 50 years, by banning the use of federal funds to pay for abortion, Hyde has put abortion care out of reach for millions of people enrolled in Medicaid and other other federal health programs. This policy has forced people to delay care, scramble to find money they do not have, or lose the ability to make their own decisions about their pregnancy altogether.
In 2018, CAF worked with champions across the state legislature and coalition partners to pass House Bill 40, which authorized state funding to provide abortion coverage for Medicaid recipients. We are grateful to do our work in a state like ours – but Illinois does not exist in isolation. More than half the country’s childbearing population lives in states where Hyde restrictions or full abortion bans limit their ability to access care. As people are forced to cross state lines for the abortion care they are denied at home, the consequences of those policies arrive here. They show up in the people who travel to Illinois clinics after being denied care or coverage in their home state, in the growing distances people must travel for care, and every day on CAF’s helpline. Our work is to ensure that being denied coverage at home doesn’t mean being denied care in Illinois.
Since 2019, in large part due to Illinois Medicaid coverage of abortion, CAF has not had to turn anyone away relying on Illinois for care. As the largest independent abortion fund in the country, we’ve helped over 65,000 callers from over 40 states access care since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, giving more than $27 million in direct support to the people we serve. We are proud of the hard work we have done to fill the gaps left by the federal government and meet this moment, but we also know that people deserve better.
On this anniversary, I hold space for all those stripped of autonomy because the Hyde Amendment restricted their ability to access abortion care. I hope to see an end to Hyde in my lifetime, but, until abortion is safe and accessible for all, CAF and our many allies in this work will continue serving those facing barriers to the care they want, need, and deserve.
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The Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF) is the largest abortion fund in the country. For 40 years, we've been breaking down barriers to abortion care in Chicago, the Midwest, and beyond. CAF offers support for people seeking abortion care in Illinois including, procedure funding, travel and related needs like childcare, emotional support and logistical expertise. Since the fall of Roe v. Wade CAF has received support requests from over 50,000 people in 45 states and pushed out over $20 million in direct assistance and wrap-around support. In 2025 alone, CAF fielded nearly 20,000 support requests and spent over $10 million on appointment and travel costs.