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No, federal dollars do not fund a majority of abortions

Thanks to legislation passed in the 1970s, federal taxpayer money is barred from funding abortion procedures, with just a few exceptions.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As President Biden signed an executive order regarding access and support of agencies for abortion procedures, questions about abortion continue to arise.

Some on social media question if their taxpayer money goes to fund the procedure.

THE QUESTION

Do federal dollars go to fund a majority of abortions?

OUR SOURCES

THE ANSWER

This is false.

No, federal money does not go to fund a majority of abortions.

WHAT WE FOUND

Congress passed the Hyde Amendment following the 1973 landmark Roe vs. Wade case that legalized abortion. Lawmakers wanted to ensure federal funds did not go toward abortions, so they solidified that message in a bill in 1976.

The law bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortion, except to save the life of the woman, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape.

But the law leaves it up to the states if they want to provide state funds for abortions.

"States can decide to spend their own money on abortion services," Rebouche said. "Many states do not, but some do. But in terms of federal funding for abortion, the Hyde Amendment is pretty clear on that point."

Some have questioned if the Hyde Amendment applies to women who are on Medicaid and need an abortion. Rebouche said it does.

"States can use their state Medicaid money to fund abortions, but federal money cannot," Rebouche said. "There's no federal Medicaid program that will pay for an abortion outside of those circumstances that I talked about."

There is not much data regarding how many women get an abortion because of rape or incest. In some states, women are not required to provide a reason for electing to get an abortion. 

In 2004, the Guttmacher Institute studied the reasons why American women get an abortion. 

In interviews and questionnaires with more than 1,200 abortion patients, researchers found a majority of reasons why women have an abortion is because having a baby would dramatically change their life or they can't afford to have a baby. 

Less than 1% cited they were victims of rape or incest and chose to get an abortion.

VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. Have something you want VERIFIED? Text us at 704-329-3600 or visit /verify.

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