Today marks the 39th anniversary of the discriminatory and deeply unjust Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for abortion. Segregating abortion from other forms of basic health care is dangerous, sexist, and indefensible.

The right to abortion is meaningless if people can’t afford it. Funding abortion is a basic obligation of a just society. Everyone – especially low-income people and women of color – must be free to determine the direction of their own lives, or we are not free.

Elected officials on both sides of the aisle have long referred to the Hyde Amendment as ‘settled law.’ This isn’t true. Abortion funding bans are renewed in the budget. They are often tacked onto bills as ‘compromises.’ It doesn’t have to be this way.

In July Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the EACH Woman Act, which ensures equal access to abortion coverage in public and private health insurance plans. This bill is an important step toward dignity and equality for women.

On this bad anniversary, Reproaction salutes the activists, abortion fund volunteers, and abortion providers who work around the clock to help the people directly harmed by the Hyde Amendment, and we pledge to create a new culture of accountability toward ending this discrimination once and for all.