Senate Democrats Block 20-Week Abortion Pain Bill

“Nearly 17 years ago to the day, I came to the Senate floor to cast a vote to override then-President Clinton’s veto of the federal partial-birth abortion ban and to speak out for the voiceless unborn children who were victims of that deplorable practice”.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski also effectively opposed the measure by not voting, along with Democrats Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray and Mark Warner.

“If Senate Republicans can not defund Planned Parenthood right now, there is no point in calling them Republicans”, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a candidate for the GOP nomination, tweeted last week. We had hoped that a few more courageous Democratic senators would join Casey, Donnelly and Manchin to allow debate on these measures.

National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said, “Today’s majority vote is not a defeat, but a stepping stone towards victory”.

The US Senate failed to pass a bill on Tuesday that would prohibit abortions at 20 weeks of gestation. While the Senate has not voted to protect the lives of the preborn at 20 weeks and beyond today, we still must fight to redirect a half billion dollars of taxpayer money away from abortion giant Planned Parenthood to the over 13,500 federally qualified health centers that provide comprehensive health care to women and their children. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., up for re-election in a state Obama carried twice.

The Senate is expected to take up more abortion bills later this month.

“Today in the face of a government shutdown, they’ve chose to waste the government’s time on a 20-week abortion ban”. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who introduced the bill, said. Some Republicans, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have called on Senate Republicans to change Senate rules to make it easier to move legislation past Democratic filibusters.

Pro-life supporters have been especially focused on abortion legislation since the recent release of undercover videos that show Planned Parenthood executives discussing the costs surrounding the procurement of aborted fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood says it’s broken no laws and says the videos were manipulated to distort the recorded conversations. If the age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater, an abortion would not be allowed. We are one of only seven countries that allow elective abortion past 20 weeks, joining, among others, China and North Korea. The House approved the legislation in May.

“This bill and its passage express our deeply honest desire to protect both mothers and their little pain capable unborn babies entering their sixth month of pregnancy from the unspeakable cruelty of evil monsters like Kermit Gosnell”, stated Rep. Franks in May.