March (Web-only) 2003

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After overwhelming Senate vote, ban goes to the House.
The U.S. Senate approved this morning a ban on partial-birth abortion. Leading Democrats are sharply attacking the 64-33 vote that sets the stage for another public battle between prolife groups and abortion advocates.

The measure now moves to the U.S. House, which has previously approved a ban. President Clinton twice vetoed partial-birth abortion bans. However, President Bush clearly made the ban a priority during his remarks at January's 30th annual March for Life on the Mall. In a statement today, Bush commended the Senate's action.

"Partial-birth abortion is an abhorrent procedure that offends human dignity," he said. "Today's action is an important step toward building a culture of life in America. I look forward to the House passing legislation and working with the Senate to resolve any differences so that I can sign legislation banning partial-birth abortion into law."

According to House Republican leaders, the House will move to vote on the ban by April.

Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) drafted the Senate bill. Partial-birth abortion legislation at both the federal and state level has had popular support among conservatives for nearly ten years. According to a recent press statement, "The National Right to Life Committee and the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation strongly commend Senator Rick Santorum for his tireless efforts to put an end to the brutality of partial-birth abortion," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).

But so far, the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have found that state and federal bans on partial-birth abortion violate the Constitution. According to Santorum, the first section of ...