What relaxation of the Hyde Amendment? It's pretty strict. You are trying to muddy the waters by saying there is no different for a taxpayer funded Medicaid abortion as a result of rape versus because of someone's whims. Even the Catholic church sanctions abortions in case of the life of the mother.
From a liberal pro-abortion website: "Before the Hyde Amendment, federal Medicaid covered over one-third of all abortions. Since 1977 it has paid for virtually none." http://www.hyde30years.nnaf.org/
That's where Rudy wants to go. Rudy says he doesn't want to overturn Hyde, but he also says that taxpayers should fund abortion on demand for those who cannot pay.... which is exactly what Hyde restricts. He talks out of both sides of his mouth. In spite of overwhelming evidence, you don't seem to believe when he talks out of the other side.
The Hyde amendment - originally passed in 1977 - was relaxed in 1993 to include rape, incest and the life of the mother. That’s a relaxation of the original law whether you want to admit it or not. Under current law, those abortions are paid for with taxpayer funds under the Medicaid program. My point is, taxpayers are already funding certain abortions. So those who are crying that Rudy wants to fund abortions should look at the current law if they don’t want to pay for it. I have not heard Rudy say he would overturn the current law, have u?
“I would want to see it decided on a state by state basis,” Giuliani said. “And what that means is I would leave the Hyde Amendment in place.”
“It’s been the law now, 17, 18 years, it’s part of the constitutional balance that I talked about yesterday and the Hyde Amendment leaves the funding issue largely to the states,” he added. “They have to decide how they’re going to do it.”