Henry Hyde, Former Illinois, Republican Congressman Passes On
Former congressman Henry Hyde, a central figure in the House impeachment proceedings of Bill Clinton, passed away this morning at the age of 83. Hyde was a conservative icon who left congress last year after serving the U.S. government for 32 years. He was a man of strong convictions who often times found himself in the center of controversial issues, like the impeachment of then-president Clinton and government restrictions on abortion funding.
Just before Henry Hyde left office, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush. He was praised as a “powerful defender of life†for his work on what became known as the “Hyde Amendment†which banned the use of federal funds for abortions, a policy that prevented the women of humble means from using Medicaid funding to terminate pregnancies.
“Chairman Hyde was a pioneer in the effort to protect human life, and because of his tireless efforts, there are thousands of people living around the world today who remember his service to mankind,†said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, a Republican from Texas.
However controversial his life and decisions may have been, his life’s work was full and became a story worth telling. He worked on the committee to fund programs meant to eradicate and treat AIDS and was the chief sponsor of the Family and Medical Leave Act. He cared about his country and about the life stories of generations to come.
You can read more about Henry Hyde’s life and accomplishments on wikipedia.