CV NEWS FEED // DuPage County officials voted Feb. 11 to remove the name of the late Rep. Henry J. Hyde from the Chicago county’s Wheaton courthouse, citing his pro-life legacy as a key factor in the decision.
Hyde, a Republican who represented Illinois for more than 30 years, is best known for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion in most cases. The amendment has saved at least 2.5 million lives since it was passed in 1976, CatholicVote reported.
The DuPage County Board’s 10-5 vote approved the renaming of the Henry J. Hyde Judicial Office Facility as the DuPage County Judicial Office Facility and rescinded previous approval for a monument in Hyde’s honor, according to Chicago’s Daily Herald.
County Board Chair Deb Conroy, a Democrat, told the Daily Herald that the Hyde Amendment is “very offensive to women, particularly women in Illinois.” Conroy noted that she had pledged to take this action when running for office.
Illinois has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the United States, with no gestational limits. Minors can obtain abortions without parental consent, and state Medicaid funds cover the procedure.
Republican board members pushed back against the proposal, with James Zay calling the move “narrow-minded” and highlighting Hyde’s contributions to DuPage County, including securing funding for key roads and stormwater management.
“You can’t rewrite history,” he told the Daily Herald. “My question is, who is next?”
Board members from both political parties criticized the proposal, saying it was an unnecessary initiative that fueled bipartisan tension. Two members abstained from the vote in protest.
Prominent pro-life US Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ, recently introduced a bill to codify the Hyde Amendment, which currently requires annual congressional approval to restrict federal funding for abortions, CatholicVote reported.