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Senate Passes Partial-Birth
Abortion Ban, Bush's Signature Expected
October 23, 2003—Washington, DC: On the afternoon of Tuesday,
October 21, the U.S.
Senate passed the final version of the ban on partial-birth abortions and
will be sending it to President Bush, who is expected to sign the bill
promptly. The vote marks the first time in the eight years since the
abortion procedure began receiving national attention, that an approved ban
will go to a president who has committed to signing it.
Members of the Senate voted 64-34 in favor a conference report containing
the final version of the bill.
Both the House and Senate previously approved the pro-life legislation, but
the Senate version contained a ceremonial resolution supporting the Roe v.
Wade decision that legalized abortion. A conference committee removed that
provision from the bill.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said passage of the bill marked a "very sad day
for the women of America."
"For the first time in history, the Senate is about to ban a medical
procedure without making an exception for the health of the woman," Boxer
said.
Not so, said pro-life Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who cited a recent survey
conducted by the pro-abortion Center for the Advancement of Women that found
a majority of women are pro-life and support pro-life legislation.
"That survey found that 51 percent of women who are supposed to be offended
by a ban on this procedure wanted to end abortion altogether or limit
abortion to cases of rape, incest or when the woman's life is in danger,"
Sessions said.
Once President Bush signs the bill, the battle will shift from Congress to
the Supreme Court.
"In 2000, five Supreme Court justices said that Roe v. Wade guaranteed the
right of abortionists to perform partial-birth abortions whenever they see
fit -- but Congress is now inviting the Supreme Court to re-examine that
extreme and inhumane decision," said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas
Johnson.
The bill represents the first direct national restriction on any method of
abortion since the Supreme Court legalized abortion on demand in 1973.
Abortion advocates have promised to take the bill to court immediately after
President Bush signs it into law.
Regarding anticipated legal challenges to the bill, Johnson said, "This
litigation will pose the question: Does the Constitution really guarantee a
right to deliver a premature infant to within inches of complete birth, and
then kill her?"
The House of Representatives previously passed the final version of the bill
by a 282-141 vote.
ACTION: See how your senators voted by going to:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session
=1&vote=00402
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