Abortions & Erections

With the recent death of former Congressman Henry Hyde, I am again reminded of the supreme awesomeness of federal spending.

Hyde, best known for his role in the impeachment crusade of the late 90’s, left behind a significantly more destructive legacy by introducing one of the biggest blows to the pro-choice movement as a freshman member of congress in 1976. The Hyde Amendment, which was conveniently slipped onto an annual appropriations bill, banned any federal spending on abortions. (While the original amendment contained no exceptions, it now makes exceptions for rape, incest and life endangerment. Whoop-dee-doo.) As can be expected, those most impacted by this devastating restriction are poor (and overwhelmingly non-white) women enrolled in the Medicaid program. About 7.4 million women are of reproductive age and on Medicaid, for those who are counting.

Meanwhile, the NY Times reports that last year the Medicare program spent over $21 million on penis pumps to help older gentlemen maintain erections. That’s 47,000 pumps at $450/pump for those who are counting. Because it’s totally a public health necessity that our grandpas are walkin’ around rock-hard!

Bottom line: if you’re poor and pregnant, you’re shit out of luck. If you’re old and flaccid, the government just might be able to help you out…