Life Advocacy Briefing

Senate Comes Through

THE MAJORITY CONTROLLING THE U.S. SENATE came through at last on Dec. 3, delivering on the GOP’s promises to press key pro-life reforms if 2014 voters awarded their party the victories needed to replace lefty Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) with Kentucky’s Sen. Mitch McConnell in the powerful Majority Leader’s post.

By strengthening and then passing the House-passed Reconciliation bill – HR-3762 – the Senate, in one package, voted to disqualify Planned Parenthood from Medicaid funding and to strip away virtually all the critical underpinnings of the ObamaCare legislation which has undermined Americans’ health since its 2010 passage.

Senate liberals sought, in their floor debate, to shame pro-life Senators into dropping their opposition to Planned Parenthood by, of all things, recalling the recent shootings at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood abortuary, but the shock of that incident appears, appropriately, to have had no effect on the determination of the majority of lawmakers to disqualify the baby-body-parts trafficker from federal funding – not just for abortion itself but for all its “healthcare services.”

Priests for Life national director Fr. Frank Pavone was among the pro-life leaders quoted by Dustin Siggins in LifeSiteNews.com, responding to the good news out of the Senate. “‘It’s an understatement to say that Planned Parenthood has shown itself unworthy of taxpayer support,’” he said, “noting that ‘the 325,000 lives it destroys every year are 325,000 reasons to redirect taxpayer funds to groups that promote health care without taking innocent lives.’”

We publish the Senate roll call below and include it in our 2015 Senate Voting Record Index, published at the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing Please note: the two major pro-life reforms in this measure were part of a more comprehensive bill, but because of the importance of this action to the pro-life cause and because the ObamaCare and Planned Parenthood provisions were the most controversial planks in the bill, we do count votes for it as “pro-Life” and those against it as “anti-Life.”

Confronting the Lies

ONE OF THE PLOYS of the Planned Parenthood claque in the Senate was an amendment by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) to establish a $1 billion fund to award “security” funding to outfits like Planned Parenthood, invoking the Colorado Springs abortuary shootings as an excuse to flush more funds into the abortion industry’s coffers. It was primarily through this amendment that PP’s fellow travelers in the Senate unsuccessfully sought to shame pro-life Senators into abandoning the long overdue defunding effort.

Leading the charge against the amendment was Oklahoma GOP Sen. James Lankford, whose rebuke to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) was quoted extensively in a LifeSiteNews.com story by Dustin Siggins.

“In his initial comments on the Senate floor,” writes Mr. Siggins, “[Sen.] Lankford said that ‘No one who speaks for Life goes and takes a life. No one who speaks for the life of children runs out and takes the life of adult[s] and says that that’s justifiable. It’s not justifiable. It’s horrific. But just like those individuals who speak tenaciously against religion shouldn’t be silenced because there is a shooting in a church and saying people that are anti-faith should suddenly have no voice in America because an irrational person shoots someone in a church, it is the same that individuals who speak out for the life of children shouldn’t suddenly be silenced by being screamed down because an insane person does a shooting in a clinic. Both of them are wrong.’”

Mr. Siggins goes on to note that Mr. Lankford “spent a significant portion of his speech refuting the claim that defunding Planned Parenthood ‘is all about going after women’s health,’ noting that he is ‘a very proud husband of a very beautiful lady and a proud dad of two beautiful daughters, and [speaking] as a son of a breast cancer survivor.’”

Sen. Lankford continued, reports Mr. Siggins: “‘This has nothing to do with going after women’s health, nor demonizing women, nor the war on women, nor all the other accusations that I’ve recently heard.’” He cited the description of Planned Parenthood, which he had recently heard, as “‘a life-saving healthcare organization’” and noted this outfit is “‘where 325,000 children died in it last year. This is about a simple thing,’” he said: “‘children.’”

Mr. Lankford went on to note, quoted by Mr. Siggins: “‘Science is able to look inside the womb and is able to count 10 fingers on a child and is able to watch a child suck its thumb, able to count 10 toes on that child, is able to look inside and take a sample and see that that child has different DNA than the mom and different DNA from the dad. …

“‘Why,’” he asked, “‘would we continue to supplement the death of children?’”

Celebrate!

Commentary by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins in his Dec. 4, 2015, Washington Update

The only package pro-lifers cared about this Christmas was the budget reconciliation one. And thanks to the hard work of conservatives in the House and Senate, they got it! In the early evening yesterday, Americans celebrated the first major victory against Planned Parenthood and ObamaCare since Republicans took control of Congress.

After weeks of late nights and procedural gymnastics, the Senate delivered its most stinging rebuke of the President’s favorite twin pillars of policy: his signature healthcare law and favorite abortion business. With one more vote than they needed, the GOP is a small step away from sending the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act to the President’s desk, where the responsibility for the failure of ObamaCare and nation’s complicity in abortion’s barbarism will ultimately rest.

For conservatives, it was the culmination of a five-year struggle to repeal what the Supreme Court twice sidestepped. But for pro-lifers, many of whom have been waiting their whole lives to see the end of taxpayers’ forced partnership with Planned Parenthood, the 52-47 vote was even sweeter. And while liberals will desperately try to minimize the significance of the moment, the vote was more than symbolic. For once, the President will have to answer for entangling America even deeper into the culture of death – by bankrolling an industry built on the backs of innocent unborn children and then through the government’s disaster of a healthcare takeover.

Even more importantly, the Senate will have created a powerful precedent in forcing these issues through reconciliation. If (or, hopefully, when) America elects a conservative President, Congress will have blazed the trail for partially repealing ObamaCare and defunding Planned Parenthood through the budget process – and built a solid coalition for both in the meantime.

Of course, the victory wasn’t an easy one. As usual, the President’s party tried to throw a few wrenches into the vote-a-rama [amendment process], offering two amendments that would have stripped the abortion [de]funding language from the bill.  Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) had the clever idea of not only blocking the pro-life provision but actually boosting abortion funding by $1 billion. Under the Murray-Wyden Amendment, Democrats suggested rewarding groups like Planned Parenthood, despite the ongoing investigation into its baby-parts-for-profit scheme.

Others tried unsuccessfully to tie the Colorado Springs shooting to the effort, suggesting that this [defunding effort] is an unnecessary attack on “reproductive rights” – the sort that leads to tragedies like last week’s [shooting].  Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) dismantled the argument, explaining that the violence and Planned Parenthood’s funding were two separate issues. Common sense prevailed in a 54-46 vote that sank the [Murray-Wyden] amendment, thanks to the help of Democrat Joe Manchin (WV).

Despite the defections of pro-abortion Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), Republicans stood in lock step with the American people, who firmly believe that taxpayers shouldn’t be forced by the government to partner with the abortion industry, especially a potentially criminally liable one. This is a huge victory for unborn children, their mothers, and for taxpayers. Even if the President vetoes the bill, we’ve still succeeded. Our hats go off to our friends in the movement and to Republican leadership in both chambers for making yesterday’s vote possible.

Senate Voting Record

Final Passage: HR-3762 – Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation (repealing fundamental sections of ObamaCare and Defunding Planned Parenthood) – Dec. 3, 2015 – Passed – 52-47 (Democrats in italics; “Independents” marked “I”)

Voting “yes” / pro-Life: Sessions & Shelby/AL, Murkowski & Sullivan/AK, Flake & McCain/AZ, Boozman & Cotton/AR, Gardner/CO, Rubio/FL, Isaacson & Perdue/GA, Crapo & Risch/ID, Coats/IN, Ernst & Grassley/IA, Moran & Roberts/KS, McConnell & Paul/KY, Cassidy & Vitter/LA, Cochran & Wicker/MS, Blunt/MO, Daines/MT, Fischer & Sasse/NE, Heller/NV, Ayotte/NH, Burr & Tillis/NC, Hoeven/ND, Portman/OH, Inhofe & Lankford/OK, Toomey/PA, Graham & Scott/SC, Rounds & Thune/SD, Alexander & Corker/TN, Cornyn & Cruz/TX, Hatch & Lee/UT, Capito/WV, Johnson/WI, Barrasso & Enzi/WY.

Voting “no” / anti-Life: Boxer & Feinstein/CA, Bennet/CO, Blumenthal & Murphy/CT, Carper & Coons/DE, Nelson/FL, Hirono & Schatz/HI, Durbin & Kirk/IL, Donnelly/IN, Collins & King(I)/ME, Cardin & Mikulski/MD, Markey & Warren/MA, Peters & Stabenow/MI, Franken & Klobuchar/MN, McCaskill/MO, Tester/MT, Reid/NV, Shaheen/NH, Booker & Menendez/NJ, Heinrich & Udall/NM, Gillibrand & Schumer/NY, Heitkamp/ND, Brown/OH, Merkley & Wyden/OR, Casey/PA, Reed & Whitehouse/RI, Leahy/VT, Kaine & Warner/VA, Cantwell & Murray/WA, Manchin/WV, Baldwin/WI.

Not voting: Sanders(I)/VT.

              SENATE VOTING RECORD INDEX – 2015

                                               Key

A            Procedural Motion to Close Debate (first attempt) on the Rule for Consideration – S 178 – Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking, including Permanent Hyde Language Barring Use of Taxpayer Funds for Abortion – March 17 – Failed 55-43 (needed 60)

B            Procedural Motion to Close Debate (second attempt) on the Rule for Consideration – S 178 – Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking, including Permanent Hyde Language Barring Use of Taxpayer Funds for Abortion – March 17 – Failed 55-43 (needed 60)

C            Procedural Motion to Close Debate (third attempt) on the Rule for Consideration – S 178 – Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking, including Permanent Hyde Language Barring Use of Taxpayer Funds for Abortion – March 18 – Failed 57-41 (needed 60)

D            Procedural Motion to Close Debate (fourth attempt) on the Rule for Consideration – S 178 – Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking, including Permanent Hyde Language Barring Use of Taxpayer Funds for Abortion – March 19 – Failed 56-42 (needed 60)

E            Procedural Motion to Close Debate (fifth attempt) on the Rule for Consideration – S 178 – Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking, including Permanent Hyde Language Barring Use of Taxpayer Funds for Abortion – March 19 – Failed 56-42 (needed 60)

F            Murray Motion to Waive Budgetary Discipline in order to Expand Women’s Access to Health Care (read “abortion”) – April 14 – Failed 43-57

G            Leahy Amendment to S 178 – Trafficking Victims Justice Act to Grant Abortion Subsidies to Trafficking Victims – April 22 – Failed 43-55

H            Procedural Motion to Close Debate – Loretta Lynch Nomination as Attorney General – April 23 – Passed 66-34

I            Confirmation – Loretta Lynch as Attorney General – April 23 – Passed 57-43

J            Procedural Motion to Close Debate – Amendment to Repeal ObamaCare – July 26 – Failed 49-43 (needed 60)

K            Procedural Motion to Close Debate – S 2882 – Planned Parenthood Defunding – Aug. 3 – Failed 43-46

L            Procedural Motion to Close Debate – HR 36 – Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act – Sept. 22 – Failed 54-42 (needed 60)

M            Procedural Motion to Close Debate – Continuing Resolution, including Provision Disqualifying Planned Parenthood from 2016 Funding – Sept. 24 – Failed 47-52

N            Final Passage – Continuing Resolution Funding Government through December 11, including Grants and Contracts for Planned Parenthood – Sept. 30 – Passed 78-20

O            Motion to Table Murray Amendment to Create a $1 Billion Security Fund for Abortuaries – Dec. 3 – Adopted 54-46

P            Collins Amendment to HR-3762 to Strip Provision Defunding Planned Parenthood – Dec. 3 – Failed 48-52

Q            HR-3762 – Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act – Final Passage – Dec. 3 – Passed 52-47

VOTING RECORD

100% Pro-Life: Republican Senators Shelby/AL, Boozman/AR, Crapo & Risch/ID, Coats/IN, Moran/KS, Vitter/LA, Blunt/MO, Inhofe & Lankford/OK, Scott/SC, Lee/UT; no Democratic Senators.

100% Pro-Life when voting (absences indicated by capital letters in parentheses after Member’s name): Republican Senators Sessions(J)/AL, Rubio(G,N)/FL, Toomey(N,V,J)/PA, Cruz(A,B,G,I)/TX; no Democratic Senators.

Mostly Pro-Life (absences indicated by capital letters & anti-Life votes by lower-case letters in parentheses after Member’s name): Republican Senators Murkowski(J,L)(m,n,p) & Sullivan(n)/AK, Flake(J)(h,i,n) & McCain(n)/AZ, Cotton(m)/AR, Gardner(h)/CO, Isakson(n) & Perdue(n)/GA, Ernst(n) & Grassley(n)/IA, Roberts(h,n)/KS, Paul(m)/KY, Cassidy(n)/LA, Cochran(h,i,n) & Wicker(n)/IA, Daines(n)/MT, Fischer(n) & Sasse(m)/NE, Heller(m)/NV, Ayotte(h,i,m,n)/NH, Burr(h) & Tillis(h,n)/NC, Hoeven(n)/ND, Portman(h,i,n)/OH, Graham(A,B,K,N)(h,i)/SC, Rounds(h,n) & Thune(h,n)/SD, Alexander(C,D,E)(h,n) & Corker(J)(h,n)/TN, Cornyn(h,n)/TX, Hatch(h,i,n)/UT, Capito(h)/WV, Johnson(h,i,n)/WI, Barrasso(n) & Enzi(n)/WY; Democratic Senator Manchin(h,i,j,n,q)/WV.

Mixed (absences indicated by capital letters & anti-Life votes by lower-case letters in parentheses after Member’s name): Republican Senators Kirk(h,i,k,l,m,n,o,p,q)/IL, McConnell*(a,b,d,e,h,i,k,n)/KY, Collins(h,i,l,m,n,p,q)/ME; Democratic Senators Donnelly(h,i,j,m,n,o,p,q)/IN; Casey(h,i,j,k,m,n,o,p,q)/PA.

Mostly Anti-Life (absences indicated by capital letters & pro-Life votes by lower-case letters in parentheses after Member’s name): no Republican Senators; Democratic Senator Heitkamp(a,b,c,d,e)/ND.

100% Anti-Life when voting (absences indicated by capital letters in parentheses after Member’s name): no Republican Senators; Democratic Senators Boxer(D,E,L,M)/CA, Coons(N,V,J)/DE, Markey(J)/MA, Brown(C)/OH, Sanders(J,Q)(officially an “Independent” but caucuses with Democrats)/VT, Warner(L)/VA, Murray(L)/WA.

100% Anti-Life: no Republican Senators; Democratic Senators Feinstein/CA, Bennet/CO, Blumenthal & Murphy/CT, Carper/DE, Nelson/FL, Hirono & Schatz/HI, Durbin/IL, King (officially an “Independent” but caucuses with Democrats)/ME, Cardin & Mikulski/MD, Warren/MA, Peters & Stabenow/MI, Franken & Klobuchar/MN, McCaskill/MO, Tester/MT, Reid/NV, Shaheen/NH, Booker & Menendez/NJ, Heinrich & Udall/NM, Gillibrand & Schumer/NY, Merkley & Wyden/OR, Reed & Whitehouse/RI, Leahy/VT, Kaine/VA, Cantwell/WA, Baldwin/WI.

*Note: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), as Majority Leader, on occasion voted opposite to the Pro-Life position because of the possibility that a “motion to reconsider” would be needed in the event of the failure of the motion on the floor. His record therefore appears “Mixed,” but readers should evaluate him as “100% Pro-Life.”