Life Advocacy Briefing

Thanks to Those Who Have Given All

WE WISH A BLESSED MEMORIAL DAY to our readers and offer thanks to our Lord for the sacrifices of those who have fought and died to secure and then preserve the blessings of liberty in this unique nation.

House Passes Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

THE U.S. HOUSE VOTED MAY 13 to pass the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, marking the anniversary of the conviction of notorious abortionist/murderer Kermit Gosnell in Philadelphia. The President has vowed to veto the measure if it wins approval in the US Senate, where its passage is not assured. (Capitol switchboard: 1-202/224-3121)

Despite deep divisions between the two parties, some four Republicans voted against the measure, while four Democrats voted in its favor. We publish the House voting records, at the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing, on both final passage of the landmark measure and on a procedural motion by which the abortion lobby’s fellow travellers sought to block the bill by recommitting it to committee; that motion failed 181 to 246, while HR-36 passed 242 to 184.

We should note, though the Speaker did not vote – as is customary – he did advocate the bill in House floor debate, which he does on only rare occasions. “‘I didn’t need my parents to tell me that every child is a gift from God,’” declared House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), quoted by Deirdre Walsh in a report for CNN, noting Mr. Boehner was “teary.” “‘But let me tell you, they did – early and often. Because that respect – that sanctity and dignity – is everything.’”

Associated Press (AP) reporter Alan Fram quoted Mr. Boehner calling HR-36 “‘the most pro-life legislation to ever come before this body,’ adding: ‘We should all be proud to take this stand today.’”

House sponsor Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) was quoted in the AP report: “‘It’s time to open our eyes and allow our consciences to catch up with our technology.’”

The legislation “has been the right-to-life movement’s top Congressional priority for the 114th Congress,” says National Right to Life in a news release following the House vote. “The proposed federal law would generally extend legal protect[ion] to unborn humans beginning at 20 weeks fetal age, based on Congressional findings,” notes NRL, “that by that point (and even earlier) the unborn child has the capacity to experience great pain during an abortion.”

As passed by the House, the bill also provides for medical care for babies who survive attempted late-term abortions permitted under the legislation because of a threat to the mother’s life or because of the sex-crime-related circumstances of the child’s conception. In such excused abortions, the bill as amended calls for a second doctor to “be present to care for [the surviving baby],” reports AP, “if an abortion doctor believes the fetus could survive outside the womb,” a very real possibility in abortions that are inflicted after 20 weeks gestation.

Babies aborted in the later stages of prenatal development, notes Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins in a news release celebrating the bill’s passage, “can feel the pain even more acutely than adults, because they don’t yet have fully developed pain inhibitors. … Their humanity is undeniable. They deserve,” he urged, “to be protected by our laws.”

Mr. Perkins also noted public opinion polls “show[ing] that Americans do not stand with late abortions.” Large majorities “recognized,” he said, “that a mother’s womb should be the safest place for a baby, not where unspeakable horrors are inflicted on an innocent child.”

Missouri Fines Aetna for Abortion Coverage

THE STATE OF MISSOURI HAS FINED AETNA INSURANCE $4.5 million for paying for nine elective abortions and refusing to pay for services relating to autism.

The fine is “the largest in state history for insurance violations,” reports Ben Johnson for LifeSiteNews.com.

Under a 1983 Missouri law, insurance companies may pay for elective abortions only, writes Mr. Johnson, “through premiums paid into a separate insurance policy. This [statutory limit] prevents pro-life Missourians from subsidizing abortion against their will.”

The fine follows a $1.5 million fine paid by Aetna to Missouri in 2012, also for covering elective abortions but not covering autism. In the 2012 case, notes Mr. Johnson, “Aetna also refused to allow employers to opt out of contraceptive coverage, transgressing a third state law.”

Should Aetna violate the law “a third time in the next three years,” writes Mr. Johnson, “the company could lose its license to do business in the state.” On the other hand, if Aetna obeys the terms of the judgment, correcting its actions “during a three-year observation period,” it will be forgiven one-third of the fine, $1.5 million.

In the meantime, lawmakers in other states may wish to take note of the Missouri statute and enact similar penalties for paying abortionists with premium-payers’ funds.

‘Protecting Those Who Cannot Protect Themselves’

May 14, 2015, Washington Update commentary by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

Not everyone was celebrating yesterday’s historic pro-life victory in the House of Representatives. Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards and Pres. Obama wasted no time blasting the House’s decision to end the intense pain babies feel from abortion after the five-month mark.

Cecile Richards aired her disgust that Americans would rise up and want to stop the shedding of innocent blood. “A 20 wk ban would hurt women,” Richards tweeted. As experts in hurting women, Planned Parenthood should know better. The organization – and in fact, the entire movement – is indifferent to the agony their industry causes to the unborn and women. It’s that aggressive insensitivity that continues to repel Americans from their cause. “Put simply,” Richards argued, this bill “lacks compassion & it lacks respect.” [Grammar insensitivity is a result of the abbreviation frenzy of Twitter and should not be attributed to Life Advocacy or to Mr. Perkins.]

The only thing that lacks respect in this debate is the organization that covers up rape and abuse, encourages sex trafficking, teaches girls how to hide bruises from abusive men, targets black children for extinction and leaves women bleeding on their tables without help. Is that how Planned Parenthood defines “compassion?” Tearing babies apart when they can feel it? Leaving women with deep emotional scars and a lifetime of guilt? Richards is right: This is a “dangerous bill.” Dangerous to her bottom line. Dangerous to her industry’s slipping grip on society. But to the rest of the country, who stands on the side of humanity, of life, this [is] a vote that – as Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) said emotionally – “we will all remember the rest of our lives.”

So will the tens of thousands of future Americans saved by the courageous work of this Congress. Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who made a rare floor speech in support of the legislation, teared up when he talked. HR-36, he said, “is the most pro-life legislation ever to come before this body. It reflects the will of the American people.”

The Democratic Party, on the other hand, reflected anything but. Proving what rigid hard-liners the Left has become, only four Democrats – Representatives Henry Cuellar (TX), Jim Langevin (RI), Dan Lipinski (IL) and Collin Peterson (MN) – sided with 70% of the country in stopping the barbaric practice of late-term abortion. The other 180 voted to keep America in the company of the brutal dictatorships of North Korea and China – two of … only seven countries that allow abortions after five months.

As for the President, the same man who fought to legalize the killing of babies who survived their own abortion, the mere idea that our country would end the torture of these children is “disgraceful.” That’s what White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest called the bill yesterday – to the shock and dismay of millions of Americans.

“It shouldn’t be such a hard vote,” Rep. Franks lamented, “because in spite of all of the political noise, protecting little unborn pain-capable babies is not a Republican issue and it’s not a Democratic issue. It’s a test of our basic humanity and who we are as a human family. It is time that the Members of the United States Congress … open our hearts and our souls and remember that protecting those who cannot protect themselves is why we are all here! That’s why we’re here!” 

House Voting Record

Procedural Motion on HR-36 – To Recommit (Block) Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act – Failed – 181-246 – May 13, 2015 (Democrats in italics; new Member ALL CAPS)

Voting “no” / pro-Life: Aderholt, Brooks, Byrne, Palmer, Roby, Rogers/AL; Young/AK; Franks, Gosar, McSally, Salmon, Schweikert/AZ; Crawford, Hill, Westerman, Womack/AR; Calvert, Cook, Denham, Hunter, Issa, Knight, LaMalfa, McCarthy, McClintock, Nunes, Rohrabacher, Royce, Valadao, Walters/CA; Buck, Coffman, Lamborn, Tipton/CO; Bilirakis, Buchanan, Clawson, Crenshaw, Curbelo, DeSantis, Diaz-Balart, Jolly, Mica, Miller, Nugent, Posey, Rooney, Ros-Lehtinen, Ross, Webster, Yoho/FL; Allen, Carter, Collins, Graves, Hice, Loudermilk, Price, A. Scott, Westmoreland, Woodall/GA; Labrador, Simpson/ID; Bost, R.Davis, Dold, Hultgren, Kinzinger, Lipinski, Roskam, Shimkus/IL; Brooks, Bucshon, Messer, Rokita, Stutzman, Walorski, Young/IN; Blum, King, Young/IA; Huelskamp, Jenkins, Pompeo, Yoder/KS; Barr, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers, Whitfield/KY; Abraham, Boustany, Fleming, Graves, Scalise/LA; Poliquin/ME; Harris/MD; Amash, Benishek, Bishop, Huizenga, Miller, Moolenaar, Trott, Upton, Walberg/MI; Emmer, Kline, Paulsen, Peterson/MN; Harper, Palazzo/MS; Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Wagner/MO; Zinke/MT; Fortenberry, Smith/NE; Amodei, Hardy, Heck/NV; Guinta/NH; Frelinghuysen, Garrett, Lance, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Smith/NJ; Pearce/NM; Collins, DONOVAN, Gibson, Hanna, Katko, King, Reed, Stefanik, Zeldin/NY; Ellmers, Foxx, Holding, Hudson, Jones, McHenry, Meadows, Pittenger, Rouzer, Walker/NC; Cramer/ND; Chabot, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Renacci, Stivers, Tiberi, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Bridenstine, Cole, Lucas, Mullin, Russell/OK; Walden/OR; Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Marino, Meehan, Murphy, Perry, Pitts, Rothfus, Shuster, Thompson/PA; Duncan, Gowdy, Mulvaney, Rice, Sanford, Wilson/SC; Noem/SD; Black, Blackburn, DesJarlais, Duncan, Fincher, Fleischmann, Roe/TN; Babin, Barton, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Conaway, Cuellar, Culberson, Farenthold, Flores, Gohmert, Granger, Hensarling, Hurd, S. Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Neugebauer, Olson, Poe, Ratclilffe, Sessions, Smith, Thornberry, Weber, Williams/TX; Bishop, Chaffetz, Love, Stewart/UT; Brat, Comstock, Forbes, Goodlatte, Griffith, Hurt, Rigell, Wittman/VA; Herrera-Beutler, McMorris-Rodgers, Newhouse, Reichert/WA; Jenkins, McKinley, Mooney/WV; Duffy, Grothman, Ribble, Ryan, Sensenbrenner/WI; Lummis/WY.

Voting “yes” / anti-Life: Sewell/AL; Gallego, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Sinema/AZ; Aguilar, Bass, Becerra, Bera, Brownley, Cardenas, Chu, Costa, Davis, DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Farr, Garamendi, Hahn, Honda, Huffman, Lee, Lieu, Lofgren, Lowenthal, Matsui, McNerney, Napolitano, Pelosi, Peters, Roybal-Allard, Ruiz, Linda Sanchez, Loretta Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Speier, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Torres, Vargas, Waters/CA; DeGette, Perlmutter, Polis/CO; Courtney, DeLauro, Esty, Himes, Larson/CT; Carney/DE; Brown, Castor, Deutch, Frankel, Graham, Grayson, Hastings, Murphy, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Bishop, Johnson, Lewis, D.Scott/GA; Gabbard, Takai/HI; Bustos, D.Davis, Duckworth, Foster, Gutierrez, Kelly, Quigley, Rush, Schakowsky/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Loebsack/IA; Yarmuth/KY; Richmond/LA; Pingree/ME; Cummings, Delaney, Edwards, Hoyer, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, VanHollen/MD; Capuano, Clark, Keating, Kennedy, Lynch, McGovern, Moulton, Neal, Tsongas/MA; Conyers, Dingell, Kildee, Lawrence, Levin/MI; Ellison, McCollum, Nolan, Walz/MN; Thompson/MS; Clay, Cleaver/MO; Ashford/NE; Titus/NV; Kuster/NH; Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Sires, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Lujan, Lujan-Grisham/NM; Clarke, Crowley, Engel, Higgins, Israel, Jeffries, Lowey, C.Maloney, S.Maloney, Meeks, Meng, Nadler, Rangel, Rice, Serrano, Slaughter, Tonko, Velazquez/NY; Adams, Butterfield, Price/NC; Beatty, Fudge, Kaptur, Ryan/OH; Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader/OR; Cartwright, Doyle, Fattah/PA; Cicilline, Langevin/RI; Clyburn/SC; Cohen, Cooper/TN; Castro, Doggett, A.Green, G.Green, Jackson-Lee, E.B.Johnson, O’Rourke, Veasey, Vela/TX; Welch/VT; Beyer, Connolly, Scott/VA; DelBene, Heck, Kilmer, Larsen, McDermott, Smith/WA; Kind, Moore, Pocan/WI.

Not voting: Capps/CA; Boehner/OH; Barletta, Boyle & Brady/PA; Hinojosa/TX.

 

HR-36 – Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act – Final Passage – Passed – 242-184 – May 13, 2015 (Democrats in italics)

Voting “yes” / pro-Life: Aderholt, Brooks, Byrne, Palmer, Roby, Rogers/AL; Young/AK; Franks, Gosar, McSally, Salmon, Schweikert/AZ; Crawford, Hill, Westerman, Womack/AR; Calvert, Cook, Denham, Hunter, Issa, Knight, LaMalfa, McCarthy, McClintock, Nunes, Rohrabacher, Royce, Valadao, Walters/CA; Buck, Coffman, Lamborn, Tipton/CO; Bilirakis, Buchanan, Clawson, Crenshaw, Curbelo, DeSantis, Diaz-Balart, Jolly, Mica, Miller, Nugent, Posey, Rooney, Ros-Lehtinen, Ross, Webster, Yoho/FL; Allen, Carter, Collins, Graves, Loudermilk, Price, A. Scott, Westmoreland, Woodall/GA; Labrador, Simpson/ID; Bost, R.Davis, Hultgren, Kinzinger, Lipinski, Roskam, Shimkus/IL; Brooks, Bucshon, Messer, Rokita, Stutzman, Walorski, Young/IN; Blum, King, Young/IA; Huelskamp, Jenkins, Pompeo, Yoder/KS; Barr, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers, Whitfield/KY; Abraham, Boustany, Fleming, Graves, Scalise/LA; Poliquin/ME; Harris/MD; Amash, Benishek, Bishop, Huizenga, Miller, Moolenaar, Trott, Upton, Walberg/MI; Emmer, Kline, Paulsen, Peterson/MN; Harper, Palazzo/MS; Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Wagner/MO; Zinke/MT; Fortenberry, Smith/NE; Amodei, Hardy, Heck/NV; Guinta/NH; Garrett, Lance, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Smith/NJ; Pearce/NM; Collins, Donovan, Gibson, Katko, King, Reed, Stefanik, Zeldin/NY; Ellmers, Foxx, Holding, Hudson, Jones, McHenry, Meadows, Pittenger, Rouzer, Walker/NC; Cramer/ND; Chabot, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Renacci, Stivers, Tiberi, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Bridenstine, Cole, Lucas, Mullin, Russell/OK; Walden/OR; Costello, Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Marino, Meehan, Murphy, Perry, Pitts, Rothfus, Shuster, Thompson/PA; Langevin/RI; Duncan, Gowdy, Mulvaney, Rice, Sanford, Wilson/SC; Noem/SD; Black, Blackburn, DesJarlais, Duncan, Fincher, Fleischmann, Roe/TN; Babin, Barton, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Conaway, Cuellar, Culberson, Farenthold, Flores, Gohmert, Granger, Hensarling, Hurd, S. Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Neugebauer, Olson, Poe, Ratclilffe, Sessions, Smith, Thornberry, Weber, Williams/TX; Bishop, Chaffetz, Love, Stewart/UT; Brat, Comstock, Forbes, Goodlatte, Griffith, Hurt, Rigell, Wittman/VA; Herrera-Beutler, McMorris-Rodgers, Newhouse, Reichert/WA; Jenkins, McKinley, Mooney/WV; Duffy, Grothman, Ribble, Ryan, Sensenbrenner/WI; Lummis/WY.

Voting “no” / anti-Life: Sewell/AL; Gallego, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Sinema/AZ; Aguilar, Bass, Becerra, Bera, Brownley, Cardenas, Chu, Costa, Davis, DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Farr, Garamendi, Hahn, Honda, Huffman, Lee, Lieu, Lofgren, Lowenthal, Matsui, McNerney, Napolitano, Pelosi, Peters, Roybal-Allard, Ruiz, Linda Sanchez, Loretta Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Speier, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Torres, Vargas, Waters/CA; DeGette, Perlmutter, Polis/CO; Courtney, DeLauro, Esty, Himes, Larson/CT; Carney/DE; Brown, Castor, Deutch, Frankel, Graham, Grayson, Hastings, Murphy, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Bishop, Johnson, Lewis, D.Scott/GA; Gabbard, Takai/HI; Bustos, D.Davis, Dold, Duckworth, Foster, Gutierrez, Kelly, Quigley, Rush, Schakowsky/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Loebsack/IA; Yarmuth/KY; Richmond/LA; Pingree/ME; Cummings, Delaney, Edwards, Hoyer, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, VanHollen/MD; Capuano, Clark, Keating, Kennedy, Lynch, McGovern, Moulton, Neal, Tsongas/MA; Conyers, Dingell, Kildee, Lawrence, Levin/MI; Ellison, McCollum, Nolan, Walz/MN; Thompson/MS; Clay, Cleaver/MO; Ashford/NE; Titus/NV; Kuster/NH; Frelinghuysen, Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Sires, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Lujan, Lujan-Grisham/NM; Clarke, Crowley, Engel, Hanna, Higgins, Israel, Jeffries, Lowey, C.Maloney, S.Maloney, Meeks, Meng, Nadler, Rangel, Rice, Serrano, Slaughter, Tonko, Velazquez/NY; Adams, Butterfield, Price/NC; Beatty, Fudge, Kaptur, Ryan/OH; Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader/OR; Cartwright, Dent, Doyle, Fattah/PA; Cicilline /RI; Clyburn/SC; Cohen, Cooper/TN; Castro, Doggett, A.Green, G.Green, Jackson-Lee, E.B.Johnson, O’Rourke, Veasey, Vela/TX; Welch/VT; Beyer, Connolly, Scott/VA; DelBene, Heck, Kilmer, Larsen, McDermott, Smith/WA; Kind, Moore, Pocan/WI.

Voting “present”: Hice/GA.

Not voting: Capps/CA; Boehner/OH; Barletta, Boyle & Brady/PA; Hinojosa/TX.