An Illinois county has voted to remove former Congressman Henry Hyde’s name from a courthouse due to the late Republican lawmaker’s opposition to abortion.
The DuPage County Board voted 10-5 along party lines at their Tuesday meeting to change the name of the Henry J. Hyde Judicial Office Facility, while two Democrat members abstained.
“Here in DuPage County, public buildings serve all people, regardless of race, gender, faith or … economic status,” said County Board Chair Deb Conroy, a Democrat, ahead of the vote, as quoted by the Naperville Sun.
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“This resolution reinforces the notion that the buildings on this campus support the rights of all people to receive the services they need. … I believe our actions should reflect our values.”
Many friends and family of the late Hyde, who at different times chaired the House Judiciary Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, implored the board not to change the name. Among those speaking out was Hyde’s son, Anthony Hyde, a resident of nearby North Aurora.
“The chair and others in this room have stated the reason you want to remove his name from the judicial center is because of his position on abortion and, in particular, the Hyde Amendment. … Believe me when I say I can empathize with your position,” Anthony Hyde said, according to the Naperville Sun.
“But also understand that my father was more than just a one-note politician. My father was a statesman for this country. He advocated for those in need locally, nationally and globally.”
From 1975 until he died in 2007, Henry Hyde represented parts of DuPage County in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is best known for championing the Hyde Amendment in 1980, a longstanding measure that prohibits federal funding of elective abortions.
While initially passed with bipartisan support, the Hyde Amendment has become a point of contention in the 21st century, as Democratic candidates have often promised to overturn it if elected.
In 2010, the then Republican-dominated board voted to name the local courthouse after Hyde and called for installing a privately funded monument to Hyde just outside the courthouse.
Before Tuesday’s vote, DuPage County GOP Chair Kevin Coyne told ABC 7 WLS Chicago that he believed that renaming the courthouse sent the wrong message.
“He had a lot of support, a lot of friends on the other side of the aisle. He strikes me as a kind of official that we should be looking to model ourselves after, not disrespect,” said Coyne.
“To cherry-pick this one issue and hold it against a man that was such a big part of our history, to me, is just wrong. It’s short-sighted.”
