- WASHINGTON (AgapePress) -
The U.S. Senate has passed a landmark bill that bans the gruesome partial-birth
abortion procedure. However, other news from the Senate will not be welcomed
by most pro-life groups.
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- On a 65-32 vote, the Senate has approved the Partial-Birth
Abortion Ban Act of 2003 (Senate Bill 3). The victory gives President Bush
and the Republican majority in Congress one of their top legislative priorities.
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- Democrats tried at least twice this week to water down
the legislation, but were turned back each time when several of their own
party joined with the Republicans to defeat the amendments. The bill, sponsored
by Republican Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, will outlaw abortions
that involve killing full-term babies just minutes before they are born.
It specifically prohibits doctors from committing an "over act"
designed to kill a partially delivered baby.
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- For eight years, pro-life forces have been pushing the
bill that was twice vetoed by former President Bill Clinton. Sandy Rios,
president of Concerned Women for America, says it's about time.
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- "Who would have thought that a ban on such a harmful
procedure ... would have taken nearly a decade to enact into law?"
Rios asks. "Thanks to the determined and tireless efforts of Senator
Rick Santorum in the sometimes stubborn Senate, we are nearly there. Now
there's nothing keeping this legislation from the fast track to becoming
law."
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- Reports indicate the bill will easily pass in the House,
and the president has already said he will sign it into law.
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- AMENDMENT ENDORSES ROE
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- However, pro-life groups are likely to be very unhappy
with another abortion-related matter that the Senate dealt with on Wednesday.
By a vote of 52-46, the Senate passed a resolution reaffirming its support
for the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.
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- Nine Republicans joined 42 Democrats and one Independent
to pass the non-binding resolution. Those Republicans were Ben Nighthorse
Campbell of Colorado, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Susan Collins of
Maine, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Olympia
Snowe of Maine, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Ted Stevens of Alaska, and
John Warner of Virginia. (Express your concern over this vote to these
senators with the ACTION ITEM at the end of this news story.)
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- The five Democrats who voted against the resolution were
John Breaux of Louisiana, Zell Miller of Georgia, Ben Nelson of Nebraska,
Mark Pryor of Arkansas, and Harry Reid of Nevada.
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- The resolution, introduced by Democrat Tom Harkin of
Iowa, is attached to SB 3 as an amendment (S. AMDT. 260). It was co-sponsored
by Senators Maria Cantwell of Washington, Barbara Boxer of California,
John Edwards of North Carolina, and John Kerry of Massachusetts. The latter
two are announced Democratic Party candidates for president.
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- A complete roll call of the vote on the resolution is
available on the U.S. Senate website.
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