The Hyde Amendment is the short name for an American federal regulation that, with a few exceptions, prohibits the provision of government funds for abortions. The regulation was given its name by its author, Congressman Henry Hyde, and was first introduced in 1976 and every year since then in the form of an amendment to the Appropriations Bill. Except in cases where pregnancy was caused by violation, incest or endangered the life of the pregnant woman, no funds from the federal Medicaid program may be used.
