DDO Olympic Debate: That the Hyde Amendment Ought to be Repealed

Re: Public opinionThe first problem with my opponent's first contention is an argumentum ad populum - appeal to the majority. Policies that are bad should be rejected, regardless if they are popular or not. The second problem with my opponent's argument is that it is not necessarily true. According to a recent poll by the Hart Institute, the poll found that [1]:1. Eighty-six percent (86%) of voters agree (including 68% who strongly agree) with the statement “however we feel about abortion, politicians should not be allowed to deny a woman’s health coverage because she is poor. ” There is broad consensus on this point across age groups (including 90% of voters age 18 to 34 and 84% of voters 65 and over) and partisanship, with 85% of independents and 79% of Republicans in agreement with 92% of Democrats. 2. The belief that a woman’s income should not affect her health coverage persists when the health service in question is abortion. Three in four (74%) voters agree that “as long as abortion is legal, the amount of money a woman has or does not have should not prevent her from being able to have an abortion. ” Majorities of Democrats (85%), independents, (75%), and Republicans (62%) agree on this point. 3. Seven in 10 voters agree that “in the long run, it makes good sense that health programs for low-income women cover birth control and abortion—not just childbirth—because when people can plan when to have children, it’s good for them and their families. ” The poll also found that more than half support requiring Medicad tp cover any pregnancy-related care, including abortion. So in summary, pro's argument is simply an argumentum ad populum - appeal to the people. The policy is bad and should be rejected based upon that alone, not public opinion. To put this rebuttal in syllogism form, we get this:1. We ought to reject any policy that is significantly harmful.2. The Hyde Amendment is significantly harmful (as proven in round 2) 3. Therefore, we ought to reject the Hyde Amendment. Furthermore, my opponent's contention that the public supports the Hyde Amendment is simply wrong. Re 2: Spirit and Letter of Roe v. WadeIn commenting on the poll that I cited in my rebuttal to con's first contention, Marcella Howell notes (2):"However anyone feels about abortion, every woman, whether she has private or public insurance, should have access to the full range of quality reproductive health care, including abortion. Certainly a woman’s access to safe and constitutionally-protected health care shouldn’t depend on the personal views of politicians in Congress. "By denying women a full access and full range of coverage, we are denying her the privacy that Roe v. Wade set up. The results can be devastating to women's health, as Planned Parenthood notes (3):"When a woman cannot afford to end a pregnancy, she may forgo basic necessities, and as a result, may end up shutting off her own heat and electricity to pay for her abortion. She may even resort to self-inducing an abortion or obtaining an unsafe, illegal abortion from an untrained or unlicensed practitioner. " "It is unfair that a woman be denied coverage of abortion simply because she has government-funded health insurance. Each woman – no matter the size of her wallet or what kind of insurance coverage she has – should be able to access the full-range of reproductive health care, including abortion, from a licensed, quality health care provider. "I turn it over to con. ______1. (. http://allaboveall.org...) 2. (. http://thehill.com...) 3. (. https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org...)