Pelosi cites Catholic faith when defending support for repealing anti-abortion Hyde Amendment

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended Democrats' current effort to eliminate the Hyde Amendment – which prohibits federal dollars from being used to fund most abortions – and invoked her own Catholic faith in the process.

"As a devout Catholic and mother of five in six years, I feel that God blessed my husband and me with our beautiful family – five children in six years almost to the day. But that may not be what we should – and it’s not up to me to dictate that that’s what other people should do, and it’s an issue of fairness and justice for poorer women in our country." For years, President Biden – also Catholic – supported the Hyde Amendment with the rationale that religious Americans shouldn't have to pay for procedures they fundamentally oppose. He reversed his position during his campaign, leading to strong criticism upon his inauguration from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.