Repro Roundup: October 3rd is Rosie Jiménez Day, honoring the first victim of the Hyde Amendment

Welcome to my column, The Repro Roundup, where I summarize abortion news happening around the country, why it matters, and what you can do about it — in 250 words or less.

What’s the issue? Today, October 3rd is Rosie Jiménez Day. Rosie was an aspiring teacher, mother, and first victim of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of Medicaid or federal government insurance to cover the cost of abortion funds. As such, Rosie could not use her insurance to cover the cost of a safe and legal abortion. She used her funds meant for her education to get an illegal abortion and died a week later from sepsis in 1977.

Why does this matter? Hyde is an atrocious amendment that specifically targets low-income women of color. Thirty-nine states have parallel provisions that deny the use of state funding for abortion as well. Hyde is racist, classist, and deeply misogynistic. Yet it is voted on each year in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-H or LHHS) appropriations legislation. After 44 years of Hyde on the books, it’s time to end it by passing the EACH Woman Act. According to AllAboveAll*, EACH:

1. Puts the federal government in charge of making sure that anyone who receives federal insurance has abortion coverage. EACH gives coverage for folks:

• Enrolled in a government health insurance plan like Medicaid and Medicare. This also includes people who live in D.C.,
• Enrolled in a government-managed insurance program like FEHBP or TRICARE due to an employment relationship,
• Receives healthcare from a government provider like Indian Health Services, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or the Veterans Administration.

2. Prohibits political interference for anyone using private health insurance to cover abortion care.

What action can I take?

• Support the EACH Woman Act which is a bill that undoes Hyde by emailing your representatives in Congress (find your elected officials here). Here is a script you can copy/paste:

Dear — — — ,
My name is [ZYX] from [city/town/zipcode]. On October 3, 1977, Rosie Jiménez, a young mother, and aspiring teacher, died because the Hyde Amendment denied her access to safe, legal abortion. The Hyde Amendment blocks the use of Medicaid and other federal funding for a safe and legal medical procedure, disproportionately harming Native and poor women at a time when the maternal mortality rate in the US is rising and women of color are 3–4 times more likely to die from pregnancy causes. This situation is appalling; please bring it to an end by supporting the EACH Woman Act.
Sincerely,

[Name]

• Honor Rosie Jiménez by reading about her life
• Learn more about the Hyde Amendment
• Learn more about the EACH Woman Act
• Donate to AllAboveAll*, the organization behind #BeBoldEndHyde
• Write a Letter to the Editor of your local paper using these templates.
• Read about the impact of Hyde on Black women
• Sign the petition to Congress and encourage your network to sign too
• Listen to the BoldAF playlist on Spotify
• Donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds or your local abortion fund to prevent any more people from dying from unsafe abortions.

• Subscribe to The Repro Queen of DC, my monthly newsletter on abortion access, activism, and writing on the frontlines of DC.
• Subscribe to Repro 101, a seven-week educational email series about all things repro. Topics include the basics of funding abortion, clinic escorting, anti-choice violence, and more.