The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) at HHS releases top priorities which include “enforcing the Hyde Amendment”

  • Executive Actions
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The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), which includes the Office of Population Affairs, Office on Women’s Health, and the Office of Minority Health, released a list of priorities that calls for prioritizing “programs and funding that respect the dignity of life” (an anti-abortion dog whistle), under the guise of enforcing the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment is a federal abortion ban that already bars people using federal health programs from receiving coverage for abortion care, including in OASH programs like Title X. The document also calls for reducing “overreliance on pharmaceutical and surgical interventions,” which aligns with tenets of “blame-and-shame fertility.” Additionally, it states that OASH will not support “content that encourages, normalizes or promotes sexual activity for minors,” potentially threatening access to contraception and bodily autonomy generally.