by Tom Strode, posted Monday, November 23, 2009 (14 years ago)
WASHINGTON (BP)--Pro-life leaders expressed disappointment with Senate Democrats who advocate protecting unborn children after the upper chamber voted Nov. 21 to move forward with a health-care bill that authorizes federal funds for abortion.
"It's gravely disappointing that pro-life Democrats in the Senate failed to show the same courage and conviction shown by their counterparts (in the House)"-- Marjorie Dannenfelser
With all Democrats in support, the Senate voted 60-39 to invoke cloture and bring Majority Leader Harry Reid's legislation to the floor for debate. Reid, from Nevada, needed 60 votes to prevent his 2,074-page bill from being blocked from consideration. He reached his target when all 58 senators of his party and two independents who caucus with the Democrats supported his effort. All Republican senators, except one who was absent, opposed the move.
Reid's procedural victory means the Senate will begin debate Nov. 30 in an attempt to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act in December.
Unlike the measure approved by the House of Representatives in early November, Reid's bill allows federal funds for abortions in a government-managed public option program and for subsidies of the procedures in private plans. A "nay" vote by any Democrat -- including solid pro-life advocate Ben Nelson of Nebraska or sporadic pro-lifers Robert Casey of Pennsylvania and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana –- would have killed the current bill with its abortion-funding authorization.
"It's gravely disappointing that pro-life Democrats in the Senate failed to show the same courage and conviction shown by their counterparts" in the House, said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List.
"Their first opportunity to defend life was on the motion to proceed," she said in a written statement. "Their last chance will be on the final cloture vote to end debate. A vote to close debate without the addition of strong pro-life language will be a vote for government-funded abortion. That would be the ultimate betrayal of pro-life constituents and even self-described pro-choice Americans who oppose government-funded abortion." Read More
