Recently we wrote about former Vice President Joe Biden’s “controversial” support for the Hyde Amendment that prevents federal funds from being used to pay for abortions in most circumstances.

Following the backlash from liberal candidates and organizations, Mr. Biden changed positions, joining other presidential hopefuls who say the Hyde Amendment needs to go — that Americans should be forced to pay for abortions with their tax dollars.

John Stonestreet at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview released a commentary last week underscoring just how extreme that position is. He writes,

[T]he percentage of Americans who think abortion should be available at any time during pregnancy for any reason is a small minority—only about 13 percent. By contrast, a new Marist poll commissioned by NPR and PBS found that a super majority of Americans—75 percent—support some restrictions on abortion and oppose federal funding.

Apparently, Biden has joined the rest of his party’s leadership by giving in to the extremists.

Stonestreet goes on to note how remarkably polarized Republicans and Democrats have become on the issue of abortion.

I can’t think of any better example of this polarization than the “controversy” over the Hyde Amendment.

The Hyde Amendment is a bipartisan budget provision that’s been on the books for more than four decades, and all it does is prevent Americans from being forced to subsidize abortions with their tax dollars.

For years the Hyde Amendment was seen as a reasonable compromise between pro-life and pro-abortion politicians. But in the past three years organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL and their allies in Washington have made it clear they want the Hyde Amendment abolished.

Abortion advocates have often said, “If you don’t like abortion, don’t have one.”

Without the Hyde Amendment, however, even if you don’t like abortion and don’t have an abortion, you could still be forced to pay for an abortion with your taxes.

You can read John Stonestreet’s full commentary here.