Senate Passes Unborn Victims Bill, heads to President Bush

03.25.03

[Hank Rearden]

It's a state issue, as are almost all laws governing human interaction. Do you really want to turn over every aspect of your existence to the Big Stupid Government parasites in D.C.?

[Lancey Howard]

On the other side, NARAL Pro-Choice America delivered more than 130,000 petitions to senators urging defeat of the bill because the group said it would allow judges to rule that humans at any stage of development deserve protection, even when that protection trumps a woman's interest in ending a pregnancy.

"This would be the first time in federal law that an embryo or fetus is recognized as a separate and distinct person under the law, separate from the woman," said NARAL president Kate Michelman. "Much of this is preparing for the day the Supreme Court has a majority that will overrule Roe v. Wade."

[Fledermaus]

I'll buy that. It should remain in the states. I know my state of TN would probably flat out outlaw the procedure.

But as of now it's NOT a state issue thanks the the Supreme Court so it's proper for Congress to make law.

And until conservatives get more strict constitutional judges on the benches...you have to fight in the arena available in my opinion.

[madprof98]

"Much of this is preparing for the day the Supreme Court has a majority that will overrule Roe v. Wade."

Please, dear Lord, please.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Just like in the case of the partial-birth abortion ban, the most important vote here was not on final passage (which was a foregone conclusion), but on the consideration of a sham substitute amendment that would completely gut the intent of the bill. In the case of the PBA ban, the sham substitute amendment was offered by Dick Durbin of Illinois, and would have provided an exception to a late-term abortion ban in cases in which the health of the mother (including mental health), which of course would not have banned a single partial-birth abortion. In the case of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (Laci and Conner's Law), the sham substitute amendment was sponsored by Diane Feinstein of California and, instead of treating the unborn baby who was murdered as a victim, it merely increases the penalty if someone attacks a pregnant woman (so if the baby dies but the woman survives, the murderer can't be charged with murder). Just like several hypocrites voted for Durbin's phony substitute amendment and, when the amendment failed and it was clear that the PBA ban would be approved, turned around and voted for the true PBA ban in order to claim that they opposed partial-birth abortions, 10 hypocrites voted for Feinstein's sham substitute amendment to Laci and Conner's Law and then, after it failed by a razor-thin 50-49 vote, voted for passage of the true Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Two of the hypocrites in both the PBA ban and Laci and Conner's Law were Democrat Tom Daschle and RINO Arlen Specter, and the pro-lifers in South Dakota and Pennsylvania, respectively, should never forget that and do everything they can to elect John Thune and Pat Toomey to the U.S. Senate. Daschle and Specter are like two peas in a pod, and they both deserve to be retired by their constituents so that they stop trying to derail pro-life measures while claiming to be "moderates."

Here is the list of Senators, starting off with the 49 Herods, 45 RATs and 4 RINOs (Arlen Specter of PA, Lincoln Chafee of RI, Susan Collins of ME and Olympia Snowe of ME), who voted for the phony substitute amendment (I added a note beside the names of the hypocrites who later voted for final passage of Laci and Conner's Law), and then showcasing the 50 honorable Senators who voted against Feinstein's sham substitute amendment, 47 Republicans and 3 genuine pro-life Democrats (Zell Miller of GA, Ben Nelson of NE and John Breaux of LA).

Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs ---49
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bingaman (D-NM) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Chafee (R-RI) (RINO ALERT!)
Clinton (D-NY)
Collins (R-ME) (HYPOCRITE RINO ALERT!)
Conrad (D-ND) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Daschle (D-SD) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Dayton (D-MN) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Edwards (D-NC)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (D-FL)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hollings (D-SC)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Pryor (D-AR) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Rockefeller (D-WV) (HYPOCRITE RAT)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Snowe (R-ME) (RINO ALERT!)
Specter (R-PA) (HYPOCRITE RINO ALERT!)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---50
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Breaux (D-LA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Campbell (R-CO)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fitzgerald (R-IL)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Miller (D-GA)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Nickles (R-OK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

Not Voting - 1
Biden (D-DE)

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00061#position


Of especial interest is the fact that supposed "moderates" Evan Bayh of IN, John Edwards of NC, Bill Nelson of FL, Max Baucus of MT and Bob Graham of FL all voted against Laci and Conner's Law. Could it be a coincidence that each of these Democrat Senators is vying for the VP slot and needs to establish his ultraliberal bona fides so that John Kerry (who, of course, voted against Laci and Conner's Law) will select him as his running mate?

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Why is this a Federal Government issue?"

---

Because Laci and Conner's law applies to unborn victims of violence as a result of violations of federal law. If you break a federal law in a way that results in the death of an unborn baby (e.g., shoot a pregnant woman in a post office or in the District of Columbia or while doing a car-jacking), the law applies to you. If your crime violates a state, not federal, law, then Laci and Conner's Law would not apply to you even if an unborn baby dies because of your actions. So the law does not infringe upon states' rights.

[AuH2ORepublican]

I just noticed that it was 12, not 10, hypocrites who voted for Feinstein's sham substitute amendment and then turned around and voted for final passage.

[zbigreddogz]

Indeed.

Go Nethercutt go.

[Coleus]

NEWS FLASH
Senate defeats single-victim substitute,
49-50, and passes the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, 61-38! 
The bill now goes to President Bush for his signature!

[Coleus]

Question: On the Amendment (Feinstein Amdt. No. 2858 )

Cantwell (D-WA) Catholic
Daschle (D-SD) (HYPOCRITE RAT) Catholic
Dodd (D-CT) Catholic
Durbin (D-IL) Catholic
Harkin (D-IA) Catholic
Kennedy (D-MA) Catholic
Kerry (D-MA) Catholic
Landrieu (D-LA) (HYPOCRITE RAT) Catholic
Leahy (D-VT) Catholic
Mikulski (D-MD) Catholic
Murray (D-WA) Catholic
Reed (D-RI) Catholic

Not Voting - 1
Biden (D-DE) Catholic

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
DOCTRINAL NOTE
on some questions regarding
The Participation of Catholics in Political Life

Living the Gospel of Life:
A Challenge to American Catholics

A Statement by the Catholic Bishops of the United States

Faithful Citizenship:
Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium

An Old Testament, Litany of Life
Canon Law and Abortion
Sign Petition: To Excommunicate
The Gospel of Life--Evangelium Vitae
Herod's Heroes, Sign Petition

The Bible's Teaching Against Abortion
By: Fr. Frank A. Pavone

[Coleus]

And too damn bad your mother didn't have that choice". >>

Thanks, I'll use that.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Amen.

The 61-38 vote on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act sends the legislation, after a five-year battle in Congress, to President Bush for his signature. The White House said in a statement that it "strongly supports protection for unborn children."

Thank God for President Bush.

[hocndoc]

That amendment waa possibly designed specifically to send the bill to conference and effectively kill the bill.

[Howlin]

Good news bump!

[Howlin]

FYI.

[Freedom2specul8]

Thank you for the ping Howlin!

GummyIII, ping to you too..

[MEG33]

I do not understand the nay votes,even by the pro abortion Senators.They are for a mother's "choice",not an attacker's "choice" .Is it the humanizing,real unborn baby suggestion that scares them?

[Coleus]

Collins (R-ME) (HYPOCRITE RINO ALERT!) Catholic

[NewHampshireDuo]

Anyone know why Judd Gregg (R-NH) didn't vote?