Life Advocacy Briefing

Shoe Dropping?

FACING A FRIDAY DEADLINE, we are unable to report in a timely manner on the House’s forecast weekend session pushing ObamaCare, with a vote on ObamaCare (HR-3590) expected Sunday afternoon or evening. We are in prayer and encourage our readers both to pray and to act by contacting House Members via electronic mail (www.house.gov). The more intrepid may wish also to continue attempting to get through the Capitol switchboard (1-202/224-3121) to communicate opposition both to the measure and to the “Slaughter Rule” parliamentary maneuver being contemplated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-SanFrancisco). Citizens may wish also to call Representatives’ local offices; such contact information is available from the reference section in public libraries.

States Begin to Act

THE PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING BACK against one of ObamaCare’s odious mandates before the measure even (Heaven forbid!) becomes law. They’re fighting back through their elected state lawmakers.

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R) signed legislation last Wednesday directing his state’s attorney general to sue the federal government if Idaho’s residents are forced (by one of the many odious provisions of ObamaCare) to buy health insurance.

And the Commonwealth of Virginia has enacted a Health Care Freedom Act providing that no resident of Virginia shall be required to secure or maintain an individual insurance policy. It also prohibits collection of a penalty or fee from any Virginia resident for failure to maintain health coverage, directly confronting a key provision of ObamaCare.

The Virginia bill passed the House of Delegates 80 to 17 without debate. Of the 39 Democrats in the lower house, some 21 voted with the GOP for the measure, “defying the initiative,” writes Bob Lewis of the Associated Press (AP), “that is their party’s national priority.”

The two vanguard states stand in good company, reports Mr. Lewis. “Thirty-four other state legislatures have either filed or proposed similar measures,” he writes, “– statutes or constitutional amendments – rejecting health insurance mandates, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council” (ALEC), the nation’s principal association of individual conservative state lawmakers.

Since such states’ rights efforts are untested in the courts, the most critical battleground continues to be the US House of Representatives, where a defeat for ObamaCare would be a victory for the freedom of all Americans. Still, a movement of resistance through state legislative action could eventually become the only hope for those seeking to resist senseless, reckless “change.”

Planned Parenthood? – Unaffordable

NEW JERSEY GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), in his budget address to his state’s legislature last week, proposed completely eliminating “family planning” from the state’s spending plan, as one of the many cost-cutting measures required to bring New Jersey back from the brink of insolvency. Such a cut would sever Planned Parenthood’s attachment to the state treasury. The legislative battle over the cut is expected to be fierce, but the governor is invested with line-item-veto authority. Those wishing to thank and bolster the new governor may contact him via electronic mail at http://www.state.nj.us/governor/contact.

To Deem or Not to Deem

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PROVOKED A ROLL CALL VOTE Thursday to “disapprove of the malfeasant manner in which the Democratic Leadership has discharged the duties of their offices” in their plot for the Slaughter Rule by which Speaker Pelosi and her team are believed to be seeking to “deem” the Senate’s ObamaCare bill passed without actually taking a vote in the House. The resolution was offered by GOP Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA); it was tabled by a vote of 232 to 181. The tabling vote does not necessarily forecast the ultimate outcome of the prospective vote on “Slaughter” nor on the healthcare takeover itself – particularly given its partisan wording – but we do deem it a vote related to HR-3590, the Senate’s ObamaCare. Hence we publish the roll call below as a Life-related vote. And we thank in particular those 10 Democratic Members who voted openly to disapprove the tactics of their party Leaders.

House Voting Record

On Motion to table Cantor Resolution to pre-empt Slaughter Rule, anticipated to deem HR-3590, Senate ObamaCare and Abortion Funding Bill, passed without a House vote – March 18, 2010 – Tabling motion adopted 232-181 (Democrats in italics)

Voting “no” / pro-life: Aderholt, Akin, Alexander, Austria, Bachmann, Bachus, Bartlett, Barton (TX), Biggert, Bilbray, Bilirakis, Bishop (UT), Blackburn, Blunt, Boehner, Bonner, Bono-Mack, Boozman, Boren, Boustany, Brady (TX), Broun (GA), Brown (SC), Brown-Waite, Buchanan, Burgess, Burton (IN), Buyer, Calvert, Camp, Campbell, Cantor, Cao, Capito, Carter, Cassidy, Castle, Chaffetz, Childers, Coble, Coffman (CO), Cole, Conaway, Crenshaw, Culberson, Davis (KY), Dent, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Diaz-Balart, Dreier, Duncan, Ehlers, Emerson, Fallin, Flake, Fleming, Forbes, Fortenberry, Foxx, Franks (AZ), Frelinghuysen, Gallegly, Garrett (NJ), Gerlach, Giffords, Gingrey (GA), Gohmert, Goodlatte, Granger, Graves, Griffith, Guthrie, Hall (TX), Harper, Heller, Hensarling, Herger, Hunter, Inglis, Issa, Jenkins, Johnson (IL), Sam Johnson, Jones, Jordan (OH), King (NY), Kingston, Kirk, Kissell, Kline (MN), Lamborn, Lance, Latham, LaTourette, Latta, Lee (NY), Lewis (CA), Linder, LoBiondo, Lucas, Luetkemeyer, Lummis, Daniel Lungren, Mack, Manzullo, Marchant, McCarthy (CA), McCaul, McClintock, McCotter, McHenry, McIntyre, McKeon, McMorris-Rodgers, Mica, Miller (FL), Miller (MI), Gary Miller, Minnick, Mitchell, Moran (KS), Tim Murphy, Myrick, Neugebauer, Nunes, Olson, Paul, Paulsen, Pence, Perriello, Petri, Pitts, Platts, Poe (TX), Posey, Price (GA), Putnam, Rehberg, Reichert, Roe (TN), Rogers (AL), Rogers (KY), Rogers (MI), Rohrabacher, Rooney, Ros-Lehtinen, Roskam, Royce, Ryan (WI), Scalise, Schmidt, Schock, Sensenbrenner, Sessions, Shadegg, Shimkus, Shuler, Shuster, Simpson, Smith (NE), Smith (NJ), Smith (TX), Souder, Stearns, Sullivan, Taylor, Terry, Thompson (PA), Thornberry, Tiahrt, Tiberi, Turner, Upton, Walden, Wamp, Whitfield, Wilson (SC), Wittman, Wolf, Young (AK), Young (FL).

Voting “yes” / anti-Life:Adler (NJ), Altmire, Andrews, Arcuri, Baca, Baird, Baldwin, Barrow, Bean, Berkley, Berman, Berry, Bishop (GA), Blumenauer, Boccieri, Boswell, Boucher, Boyd, Brady (PA), Braley (IA), Bright, Corrine Brown, Butterfield, Capps, Capuano, Cardoza, Carnahan, Carney, Carson (IN), Castor (FL), Chandler, Chu, Clarke, Clay, Cleaver, Clyburn, Cohen, Connolly (VA), Conyers, Cooper, Costa, Costello, Courtney, Crowley, Cuellar, Dahlkemper, Davis (AL), Davis (CA), Davis (IL), DeFazio, DeGette, Delahunt, DeLauro, Dicks, Dingell, Doggett, Donnelly (IN), Doyle, Driehaus, Edwards (MD), Edwards (TX), Ellison, Engel, Eshoo, Etheridge, Farr, Fattah, Filner, Foster, Frank (MA), Fudge, Garamendi, Gonzalez, Gordon (TN), Grayson, Al Green, Gene Green, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Hall (NY), Halvorson, Hare, Harman, Hastings (FL), Heinrich, Herseth–Sandlin, Higgins, Hill, Himes, Hinchey, Hinojosa, Hirono, Hodes, Holden, Holt, Honda, Hoyer, Inslee, Israel, Jackson (IL), Jackson-Lee (TX), Johnson (GA), E.B. Johnson, Kagen, Kanjorski, Kaptur, Kennedy, Kildee, Kilpatrick (MI), Kilroy, Kind, Kirkpatrick (AZ), Klein (FL), Kosmas, Kratovil, Kucinich, Langevin, Larsen (WA), Larson (CT), Lee (CA), Levin, Lewis (GA), Lipinski, Loebsack, Lowey, Lujan, Lynch, Maffei, Maloney, Markey (CO), Markey (MA), Marshall, Matheson, Matsui, McCarthy (NY), McCollum, McDermott, McGovern, McMahon, McNerney, Meek (FL), Meeks (NY), Melancon, Michaud, Miller (NC), George Miller, Mollohan, Moore (KS), Moore (WI), Moran (VA), Murphy (CT), Murphy (NY), Patrick Murphy, Nadler (NY), Napolitano, Neal (MA), Nye, Oberstar, Obey, Olver, Ortiz, Owens, Pallone, Pascrell, Pastor (AZ), Payne, Perlmutter, Peters, Peterson, Pingree (ME), Polis, Pomeroy, Price (NC), Quigley, Rahall, Rangel, Reyes, Richardson, Rodriguez, Ross, Rothman (NJ), Roybal-Allard, Ruppersberger, Rush, Ryan (OH), Salazar, LorettaSanchez, Sarbanes, Schakowsky, Schauer, Schiff, Schrader, Schwartz, Scott (GA), Scott (VA), Serrano, Sestak, Shea-Porter, Sherman, Sires, Skelton, Slaughter, Smith (WA), Snyder, Space, Speier, Spratt, Stupak, Sutton, Tanner, Teague, Thompson (CA), Thompson (MS), Tierney, Titus, Tonko, Towns, Tsongas, VanHollen, Velazquez, Visclosky, Walz, Wasserman-Schultz, Waters, Watson, Watt, Waxman, Weiner, Welch, Wilson (OH), Woolsey, Yarmuth

Not voting: Ackerman, Barrett (SC), Becerra, Bishop (NY), Cummings, Davis (TN), Deal (GA), Ellsworth, Hastings (WA), Hoekstra, King (IA), Zoe Lofgren, Radanovich, Linda Sanchez, Stark, Westmoreland, Wu

Voting Record Index – 111th Congress – First Session – Senate

The U.S. Senate saw an unusual number of recorded roll calls in 2009 on both legislation and appointment confirmations related to the cause of Life. Voting in the Senate was sharply partisan, in part because of the Leaders of the respective parties and in part because the majority party teetered throughout the year close to – and finally achieving – the 60-vote majority needed to move business forward.

SENATE VOTING INDEX – KEY

• Martinez Amendment to HR-2, to reinstate and codify the suspended “Mexico City Policy” barring US foreign aid to organizations which commit, abet or promote abortion overseas – Jan. 28, 2009 – Amendment Failed 37 to 60

• Hatch Amendment to HR-2, to codify Bush-era regulations specifying an unborn child is eligible for the State Child Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) – Jan. 29, 2009 – Amendment Failed 39 to 59

• Wicker Amendment to the Omnibus spending bill to require that funds appropriated for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are not used by organizations which support coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization – March 5, 2009 – Amendment Failed 39 to 55

• On the nomination of abortion industry lawyer David Ogden to Deputy Attorney General – March 12, 2009 – Confirmed 65 to 28

• On the nomination of ACLU anti-Life lawyer Thomas Perrelli to Associate Atty. General – March 12, 2009 – Confirmed 72 to 20

• Motion to table the Ensign Amendment including pregnancy centers and battered women shelters in the GIVE Act – March 25, 2009 – Tabling Motion Adopted 56 to 41

• Coburn “Medical Conscience Protection” Amendment to Senate Budget Resolution – April 2, 2009 – Amendment Failed 41 to 56

• On the nomination of Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health & Human Services – April 28, 2009 – Confirmed 65 to 31

• On the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor as Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court – Aug. 6, 2009 – Confirmed 68 to 31

• Cloture Motion to bring to immediate vote the nomination of Cass Sunstein as Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB – Sept. 9, 2009 – Cloture Adopted 63 to 35

• On the nomination of Cass Sunstein – Sept. 10, 2009 – Confirmed 57 to 40

• Motion for immediate consideration of the nomination of David Hamilton to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals – Nov. 17, 2009 – Motion Adopted 70 to 29

• On the nomination of David Hamilton to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals – Nov. 19, 2009 – Confirmed – 59 to 39

• Motion to Proceed to HR-3590, vehicle for Reid/Obama Healthcare Takeover bill – Nov. 21, 2009 – Motion Adopted 60 to 39

• Mikulski Amendment to Reid/Obama Healthcare Takeover bill – Providing authority to mandate private coverage of “preventive care” for women with no abortion exclusion – Dec. 3, 2009 – Amendment Adopted 61 to 39

• Murkowski Amendment to Reid/Obama Healthcare Takeover bill – Excluding abortion coverage in “preventive care” and barring rationing via application of “comparative effectiveness research” – Dec. 3, 2009 – Amendment Failed 41 to 59

• Motion to table Nelson/Hatch Amendment which would have excluded abortion coverage from ObamaCare – Dec. 8, 2009 – Tabling Motion Adopted (blocking the amendment) 54 to 45

• Procedural Motion to waive a Rule to allow consideration of the Omnibus Appropriation conference report – Dec. 11, 2009 – Motion Adopted 60 to 36 (Needed 60)

• Cloture Motion to end debate on Omnibus Appropriation Conference Report – Dec. 12, 2009 – Cloture Adopted 60 to 34 (Needed 60)

• Omnibus Appropriation Conference Report – Dec. 13, 2009 – Report Adopted 57 to 35 (Needed 51)

SENATE INDEX

100% Pro-Life – Republicans: FL/LeMieux*, IA/Grassley; MS/Wicker; NV/Ensign; WY/Barrasso

– Democrats: (None)

100% Pro-Life when votingbut with absence(s) (lower-case letter after “/” marks “not voting”)

– Republicans: FL/LeMieux/*; GA/Isakson/d,e KY/Bunning/r,s,t; s/Johanns/c,d,e; NC/Burr/r; OK/Coburn/r,s,t & Inhofe/t; SC/DeMint/s; TX/Hutchison/m,r; WY/Enzi/f

– Democrats: (None)

Mostly Pro-Life—Voting “pro-life” on all but 1 to 4 roll calls when voting (upper-case letters after “/” mark anti-life votes; lower-case letters after “/” mark “not voting”) – Republicans: AL/Sessions/E/c,h & Shelby/S,T; AK/Murkowski/A,B,E,K,M; FL/Martinez/I/e,*; AZ/Kyl/D,E & McCain/D,E; GA/Chambliss/M/a; ID/Crapo/A,B & Risch/A,B; KS/Brownback/H & Roberts/H; KY/McConnell/E; LA/Vitter/O; MS/Cochran/R,S,T; SC/Graham/D,E,I; SD/Thune/M; TN/Alexander/D,E,I,M & Corker/E; TX/Cornyn/M/d,e; UT/Bennett/E,J,K & Hatch/E,J,K,M

– Democrats: (None)

Mixed—Voting “pro-life” on 10 to 15 roll calls when voting (upper-case letters after “/” mark anti-life votes; lower-case letters after “/” mark “not voting”) – Republicans: IN/Lugar/D,E,H,I,J,K,M,N/s; MO/Bond/D,E,H,I,R/s,t; NH/Gregg/D,E,H,I,J,M; OH/Voinovich/D,E,H,I,J,K/l,t

– Democrats: (None)

Mostly Anti-Life—Voting “pro-life” on 1 to 9 roll calls when voting (upper-case letters after “/” mark pro-life votes; lower-case letters after “/” mark “not voting”) – Republicans: ME/Collins/L,N & Snowe/L,N,R,S,T

– Democrats: AK/Begich/K; AR/Lincoln/J,K & Pryor/G,J,K,Q; DE/Kaufman/Q; IN/Bayh/C,Q,R,S,T; MO/McCaskill/R,S,T; NE/Nelson/A,B,C,F,G,K,O,P,Q; ND/Conrad/F,Q & Dorgan/Q/t; PA/Casey/B,C,D,F,G,Q & Specter**/F; VT/Sanders***/K; VA/Webb/J,K; WI/Feingold/O,R,S,T

100% Anti-Life when voting (lower-case letters after “/” mark “not voting”) – Republicans: (None)

– Democrats: CA/Boxer/k & Feinstein; CO/Bennet & Udall; CT/Dodd & Lieberman***; DE/Carper; FL/Nelson; HI/Akaka & Inouye; IL/Burris & Durbin; IA/Harkin; LA/Landrieu/c; MD/Cardin & Mikulski; MA/Kerry & Kirk****; MI/Levin & Stabenow; MN/Klobuchar & Franken****; MT/Baucus/n & Tester; NV/Reid; NH/Shaheen; NJ/Lautenberg & Menendez; NM/Bingaman & Udall; Gillibrand & Schumer; NC/Hagen/d,e; OH/Brown; OR/Merkley/t & Wyden; RI/Reed & Whitehouse; SD/Johnson; VT/Leahy; VA/Warner; WA/Cantwell & Murray/t; WV/Byrd/d,e,g,k,n,q & Rockefeller/h; Kohl

*George LeMieux was appointed to replace Sen. Mel Martinez, who resigned mid-term. Sen. LeMieux took the oath of office Sept. 10, missing the cloture motion on the Sunstein nomination but in time to vote against confirming Cass Sunstein. His voting record was consistently pro-life for the balance of the year. Sen. Martinez, except “absent” for Vote E on confirming Thomas Perrelli, voted pro-life until his resignation in August 2009, except for his vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor; the seat was vacant for Vote J, the Cloture Motion on the nomination of Cass Sunstein.

**Arlen Specter began 2009 as a Republican Senator but switched to become a Democrat in late April 2009.

***Though Joseph Lieberman and Bernard Sanders are listed officially as “Independents,” since they caucus with Senate Democrats, Life Advocacy considers them Democrats for purposes of this Index.

****Paul Kirk was appointed to the Senate Sept. 24, 2009, to succeed the late Edward Kennedy until a special election could be held in January 2010; beginning his brief Senate career with Vote L, Sen. Kirk voted consistently anti-Life. Al Franken was seated in time for Vote I after a lengthy recount in Minnesota; he voted consistently anti-Life for the balance of 2009.

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