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Senate Passes Partial-Birth
Abortion Ban by Wide Margin
March 15, 2003—Washington, DC: The U.S. Senate passed the ban on partial-birth abortions Thursday,
March 13, 2003, by a huge bipartisan majority. The vote moves the issue over to the House, where a similar lopsided vote in favor is expected.
President Bush applauded the pro-life vote.
"Partial-birth abortion is an abhorrent procedure that offends human dignity, and I commend the Senate for passing legislation to ban it," the President
said. "Today's action is an important step toward building a culture of life in America. I look forward to the House passing legislation and working with the Senate to resolve any differences so that I can sign legislation banning partial-birth abortion into law."
Rep. Steve Chabot, a pro-life Ohio Congressman and sponsor of the House version of the ban, said he hoped the House would vote next month.
Following House passage and President Bush's signature, a showdown with the Supreme Court is expected over the constitutionality of the legislation.
The Senate vote 64-33 in favor of the bill, sponsored by pro-life Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA). Voting in favor were 48 Republicans and 16 Democrats. Opposed were 29 Democrats, three Republicans and one independent.
On Wednesday, the Senate passed a pro-abortion amendment sponsored by pro-abortion Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). The Harkin amendment, also added to the bill during the 1999 debate, puts the Senate on record as supporting the Roe v. Wade decision that overturned pro-life laws across the country.
Santorum indicated that, during the conference committee, pro-life lawmakers intend to drop the nonbinding provision from the legislation that is sent to Bush for his signature.
Earlier in the week, the Senate turned back a number of other weakening amendments sponsored by pro-abortion lawmakers.
Pro-life Sen. George Allen (R-VA) said that abortion advocates were looking for "political protection" by voting for alternative versions of the partial-birth abortion ban.
"It's pure political cover, so that they can confuse people in the midst of debates when you say, 'Well, why did you vote against ending this gruesome procedure? ... (T)hey say, 'Oh, well, I did vote for it," Allen said.
Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, said some Democrats voted for one of the amendments so they could say they "backed a ban on late-term abortions." However, such Democrats are still "totally cool with NARAL and Planned Parenthood," Johnson said.
Dr. James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family, called Senate passage of the bill a victory for the most vulnerable members of the human family—babies just a heartbeat away from being born.
"Any society that condones infanticide cannot call itself civilized," said Dobson in a statement. It not only kills babies, "It dulls our senses as a nation," he said.
ACTION: Please contact your Senators and express your opinion on their votes concerning partial-birth abortion and Roe v. Wade. Click here to see how the Senate voted on the Harkin amendment (pro-Roe):
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00048
Click here to see how the Senate voted on the partial-birth abortion ban:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00051 |
