Abortion Foe Hyde Dead at 83

Former Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., a longtime foe of abortion rights, died today at the age of 83, of complications related to recent open-heart surgery.

Hyde, who represented a district in suburban Chicago, was best known as the author of the Hyde Amendment, which forbade the federal government for giving medical assistance to low-income women if it would be used to pay for an abortion.  The amendment has been in force since 1976, and has made it more difficult for poor women to receive reproductive health care.

Hyde was also a leader in the drive to impeach then-President Bill Clinton over inconsistent statements he had given regarding an extramarital affair.  Hyde, who served as chair of the committee that referred the charges to the full House of Representatives, worked assiduously to get the measure through.  Later, Hyde would serve as the leader of the House managers, who prosecuted Clinton in the Senate.  The Senate ultimately chose not to remove Clinton from office.  During the impeachment trial, it was revealed that Hyde had also had an extramarital affair in the late 1960s.

In failing health, Hyde chose not to stand for re-election in 2006.  He was succeeded by Rep. Peter Roskum, R-Ill.  On November 5 of this year, President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.