Critical Thinking #5
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A Letter to the Public: In Opposition to the Hyde Amendment
Rachel K. Burchill
Colorado State University Global
ORG525: Decision Theory in a Global Marketplace
Dr. Terry Cyfers
April 24, 2022
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A Letter to the Public: In Opposition to the Hyde Amendment
After much discussion and deliberation with my team, I would like to announce my opposition to the Hyde amendment and support the federal funding of abortions in our country. I know this conversation is greatly divided throughout our nation, but I know that the Hyde Amendment is greater than abortion itself. There is deep racial injustice and inequities that come when medical services are not subsidized or are based on an income scale (Salganicoff et al., 2021). I understand that every decision does not come down to a binary decision, either support or oppose, and for this reason, I would like to explain the details of how I have come to this decision. The Hyde Amendment was originally passed in 1976 and “prohibits the expenditure for
any abortion of funds authorized or appropriated by federal law or funds,” (Id. §
509). I will speak on the statistics on why this act is disproportionately affecting those below the poverty line. Abortions are not cheap; they can range from $500 to $1,000 which does not include the transportation and lodging costs that some women must incur due to the accessibility of abortion care in their area. Many of these reasons and the complexity of the decision led me to utilize a collaborative leadership style. This required the decision-making process to be shred with a team
and as a team, the decision was made to oppose the Hyde Amendment. We all assume and create our own narrative in our heads when we hear a story about a woman needing an abortion. I admit I have done this myself. However, after hearing the full story and connecting with women who are in opposition to the Hyde Amendment and spending their days protesting for federal funding of abortion, I have started to understand the necessity. It is simply never as easy as pro-life or pro-choice but by connecting with people, being empathetic, and listening to the challenges that women face I hope that we can all feel with them and understand their perspectives. In reality, approximately 1 in 4 women have abortions based
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on much research (Wind, 2017). I was surprised to learn this statistic but realized after talking with other women that the stigma behind abortions prevents women from speaking up about it and sharing their stories (Ireland, 2021). We must empathize with these women and try to understand the entirety of the situation before deciding because women facing this decision are mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, etc., in our own communities. When ultimately making the decision to oppose the Hyde Amendment and support the federal funding of abortions, there were many questions I had to answer before making a final decision. The first question asked based on the Vroom-Yetton-Jago Decision Model was about the quality of the decision, “How important is the quality of the decision?” (Vignesh, 2020). The answer is yes, the quality of the decision is very important. Federal funding for abortion is extremely important to pass because statistics show that nearly half of the women who get abortions are below the poverty level (Sanger-katz et al., 2021). For women to have an abortion, the average cost ranges from approximately $500 to $1,000. This does not include the cost of any
transportation, lodging, or any extra expenses incurred and time off from work that they must take. This amount and time off can be a devastating impact on the financial stability of some women, and this is why the quality of the decision to federally fund abortions is extremely important. The next question asked based on the Vroom-Yetton-Jago Decision Model was about the commitment to the decision, “How important is team members’ commitment to the decision?” (Vignesh, 2020). Again, the answer is yes, the team members’ commitment to the decision is very important due to the nature of the topic and because it is a partisan issue. Many people support bills like the “heartbeat” bill and others that are constantly working to the Supreme Court. These bills are working to ban abortion entirely in many states (North, 2019).
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The decision we make is going to be highly criticized no matter what decision is made. For this reason, it is very important for members of the team to be committed to the decision. After understanding the quality and commitment of the decision, it was important to ensure the issue at hand had enough information to make a decision and that the issue was well structured. There is a lot of information on the pros and cons of this decision but sorting through the relevant and accurate information is necessary to fully understand the issue at hand. I feel that I have had sufficient information to make a high-quality decision on my own. Additionally, the problem at hand is well structured. This particular decision is on whether or not abortion should be federally funded, not about whether or not one thinks it is morally right or wrong, when a fetus becomes viable, or when a fetus is conceived. The next question I asked was whether or not subordinates would be committed to the decision if I made the decision by myself. I felt that the answer to this important decision-making question was a no, subordinates would not be committed to the decision. Again, this is due to the partisan nature and the complexity of the issue (North, 2019). Next, we must ask the question regarding goal congruence, “do subordinates share the organizational goals to be attained in solving the problem?” (Vignesh, 2020). I know the team I have been working with shares the same goals, to ensure those who need assistance receive help and support to meet basic medical needs. The Hyde Amendment is not simply about abortion, but about reproductive health (PlannedParenthood, n.d.). We believe that reproductive health is a
basic right and necessity for all women regardless of their wealth and income status. The final question asked in the decision-making process is whether or not there would be subordinate conflict. Again, the nature of the topic has the potential to create conflict. After answering all these questions, I was led to make a decision using a collaborative leadership style. The decision-
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making process was shared with the team and as a leader, I supported the decision my team made
(Vignesh, 2020).
As a leader, I work diligently to ensure the needs of my people are being met. Though this decision to oppose the Hyde Amendment does not sit well with everyone, I know that this decision is in the right interest of all people. By not federally funding abortions, there is racial and social injustice. Those wealthy enough to afford all the expenses that come with abortion have choices. They can choose to go through with the pregnancy or choose to have an abortion. However, for those women who cannot financially afford an abortion, they do not have many choices. By not being able to choose to have an abortion, the financial burden of another child compounds and continues to widen the wealth gap. There are many arguments that can be made about this but I believe every women must have the choice. This is what the decision ultimately comes down to, giving everyone the opportunity to choose and make the right decision for themselves and their household. I stand firmly behind my team and my decision to support the federal funding of abortions and reproductive healthcare. First and foremost, I listened to the needs of the people, the struggles many women face to provide for their families, and the challenges they face when trying to make smart decisions about parenting. After listening to the many stories of women who have had abortions, I have learned that these women take parenting very seriously. Though there are infinite reasons why a woman would make a decision to go through with an abortion, their reasons are only relevant to them. We must be able to support all women in reproductive healthcare because healthcare is not a wealthy luxury. Our mission and goal are for everyone to have reasonable access to healthcare regardless of status. For this reason, we must oppose the Hyde Amendment. We must put our own opinions and feelings about abortions and understand
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that the Hyde Amendment disproportionately affects lower-income women to access basic healthcare. By opposing the Hyde Amendment, we can work to subsidize reproductive health and sexual health education and give women the necessary tools to make the best decision for themselves before the decision of abortion is at hand.
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References
Id. §
509, 107 Stat. at 1113 (the 1994 Hyde Amendment).
Ireland, L. D. (2021, December 14). Who are the 1 in 4 American women who choose abortion?
The Conversation. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/who-are-
the-1-in-4-american-women-who-choose-abortion-118016
North, A. (2019, April 10). How abortion became a partisan issue in America
. Vox. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from https://www.vox.com/2019/4/10/18295513/abortion-2020-roe-joe-
biden-democrats-republicans
PlannedParenthood. (n.d.). Hyde Amendment. Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Retrieved April
24, 2022, from https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/federal-and-
state-bans-and-restrictions-abortion/hyde-amendment
Salganicoff, A. & Sobel, L. F. (2021, March 6). The hyde amendment and coverage for abortion services.
KFF. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.kff.org/womens-health-
policy/issue-brief/the-hyde-amendment-and-coverage-for-abortion-services/
Sanger-katz, M., Miller, C. C., &; Bui, Q. (2021, December 14). Who gets abortions in America?
The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/12/14/upshot/who-gets-abortions-in-
america.html
Vignesh, M. (2020). Decision making using Vroom-Yetton-Jago model with a practical application. International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology, 8
(10), https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2020.31876
Wind, R. (2017, November 22). Abortion is a common experience for U.S. women, despite dramatic declines in rates
. Guttmacher Institute. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from
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https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2017/abortion-common-experience-us-women-
despite-dramatic-declines-rates