How They Voted
U.S. Senate

Senate Defeats Two
Pro-Life Amendments

- Restoring Mexico City Policy on Abortion
- Extending Healthcare to poor pregnant women and their unborn

Majority of Catholic Senators vote against these two pro-life bills

 

 

Senators Reject Helping Unborn Children, Pregnant Moms Get Health Care Coverage - This time Senator Casey joins the six Catholic Senators voting "YEA"

During the Bush administration, President Bush displayed his concern for both mother and unborn child by putting an administrative rule in place allowing states to cover unborn children in the SCHIP program. On Thursday, the Senate rejected an amendment to make that administrative rule national law.

Sen. Orrin Hatch sponsored the amendment to codify the Unborn Child Rule and the Senate rejected his motion on a 59 to 39 vote.

The vote came one day after lawmakers rejected an amendment to restore the Mexico City Policy, which President Barack Obama reversed to make taxpayers fund groups that perform or promote abortions in other countries.

Had the Hatch amendment been adopted, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), would have turned the Bush policy of allowing states to provide more help to poor pregnant women and their unborn children into federal law.

Under the amendment, unborn children covered under SCHIP could also receive health care services through the program after birth as long as they qualify for economic reasons. LifeNews

Catholic Senator Votes
YEA = 8
NAY = 17
Not Voting = 1

The Catholic senators voting "YEA" are Martinez (FL), Brownback (KS), Bunning (KY), Vitter (LA), Voinovich (OH), and the two newly elected Senators, Johanns (NE) and Risch (ID) and a lone Democrat, Senator Casey (PA).

Catholic senators rejecting this proposal are Republicans; Murkowski (AK) and Collins, and Democrats; (ME)Gillibrand (NY); Reed (RI); Leahy (VT); Cantwell (WA); Menendez (NJ); Murray (WV); Begich (AL); Dodd (CT); Landrieu (LA); Harkin (IA); Kerry (MA); McCaskill (MO); Mikulski (MD); Durbin (IL) and Kaufman (DE). Not voting again is Senator Kennedy (MA).

to view vote

Amendment To Restore Mexico City Policy Rejected

Only Seven Catholic Senators Vote "YEA" to Stop Tax Money from Funding Overseas Abortion

Republican Senator Mel Martinez (FL), called on his Senate colleagues to reinstate the Mexico City policy that prohibits U.S. tax dollars from going to international organizations responsible for performing and promoting abortions.

During the debate on reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Senator Martinez offered an amendment to override Obama's executive order.

“The core of this argument is whether U.S. taxpayers ought to be forced to fund efforts abroad that utilize abortion as a means of family planning,” said Martinez. “If we want to continue fostering a culture of life, where every life is considered sacred, every child is celebrated, and life at all stages is given the dignity it deserves, then we will reinstate this policy.”

The amendment was defeated by a vote of 37 to 60. The majority of Catholic senators rejected this pro-life amendment with only six of twenty-five Catholic senators supporting it.

The Mexico City Policy was first adopted by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, was ended by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and then reinstated by President George W. Bush in 2001.  Obama's reversal of the Mexico City Policy was applauded by liberal abortion rights groups across the country. The name comes from the city where a U.S. delegation first announced the law at a UN International Conference on Population. 

 

Catholic Senator Votes
YEA = 7
NAY = 18
Not Voting = 1

Seven of the eight Catholic Republican senators voted "YEA." These senators are Martinez (FL), Brownback (KS), Bunning (KY), Vitter (LA), Voinovich (OH) and two newly elected Senators; Johanns (NE) and Risch (ID).

Two Republican Catholic senators who frequently vote anti-life with Democrats on life issues, Murkowski (AK) and Collins (ME) joined 16 Catholic Democrats voting "NAY." Not Voting was Senator Kennedy.

 



Calling All Catholics

Please thank the senators who voted to uphold a Culture of Life thereby rejecting the liberal ideaology that poor women overseas need the United States to export abortions.

It is also important to remind your Catholic Senator that as Pope John Paul II restated in Evangelium Vitae, "those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a grave and clear obligation to oppose any law that attacks human life."

In the U.S. Bishops document, Living the Gospel of Life, it states "We get the public officials we deserve. Their virtue–or lack thereof–is a judgment not only on them, but on us." Participation in the political process is required by all of us to build a culture of life, if not we can expect more voting results like thtis one.


Question: On the Amendment (Martinez Amdt. No. 65 )

Vote Number: 19 Vote Date: January 28, 2009, 12:13 PM

Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Amendment Rejected

Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 65 to H.R. 2 (Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009)

Statement of Purpose: To restore the prohibition on funding of nongovernmental organizations that promote abortion as a method of birth control (the “Mexico City Policy”).

Vote Counts:
YEAs 37
NAYs 60
Not Voting 2

*Catholic senators are highlighted

Alabama: Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Alaska: Begich (D-AK), Nay Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
Arizona: Kyl (R-AZ), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea
Arkansas: Lincoln (D-AR), Nay Pryor (D-AR), Nay
California: Boxer (D-CA), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Nay
Colorado: Bennet (D-CO), Nay Udall (D-CO), Nay
Connecticut: Dodd (D-CT), Nay Lieberman (ID-CT), Nay
Delaware: Carper (D-DE), Nay Kaufman (D-DE), Nay
Florida: Martinez (R-FL), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Nay
Georgia: Chambliss (R-GA), Not Voting Isakson (R-GA), Yea
Hawaii: Akaka (D-HI), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Nay
Idaho: Crapo (R-ID), Yea Risch (R-ID), Yea
Illinois: Burris (D-IL), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Nay
Indiana: Bayh (D-IN), Nay Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Iowa: Grassley (R-IA), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Nay
Kansas: Brownback (R-KS), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea
Kentucky: Bunning (R-KY), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Louisiana: Landrieu (D-LA), Nay Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Maine: Collins (R-ME), Nay Snowe (R-ME), Nay
Maryland: Cardin (D-MD), Nay Mikulski (D-MD), Nay
Massachusetts: Kennedy (D-MA), Not Voting Kerry (D-MA), Nay
Michigan: Levin (D-MI), Nay Stabenow (D-MI), Nay
Minnesota: Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay
Mississippi: Cochran (R-MS), Yea Wicker (R-MS), Yea
Missouri: Bond (R-MO), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Nay
Montana: Baucus (D-MT), Nay Tester (D-MT), Nay
Nebraska: Johanns (R-NE), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Nevada: Ensign (R-NV), Yea Reid (D-NV), Nay
New Hampshire: Gregg (R-NH), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Nay
New Jersey: Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay Menendez (D-NJ), Nay
New Mexico: Bingaman (D-NM), Nay Udall (D-NM), Nay
New York: Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay
North Carolina: Burr (R-NC), Yea Hagan (D-NC), Nay
North Dakota: Conrad (D-ND), Nay Dorgan (D-ND), Nay
Ohio: Brown (D-OH), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Yea
Oklahoma: Coburn (R-OK), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea
Oregon: Merkley (D-OR), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Nay
Pennsylvania: Casey (D-PA), Nay Specter (R-PA), Nay
Rhode Island: Reed (D-RI), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay
South Carolina: DeMint (R-SC), Yea Graham (R-SC), Yea
South Dakota: Johnson (D-SD), Nay Thune (R-SD), Yea
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Yea Corker (R-TN), Yea
Texas: Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea
Utah: Bennett (R-UT), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Vermont: Leahy (D-VT), Nay Sanders (I-VT), Nay
Virginia: Warner (D-VA), Nay Webb (D-VA), Nay
Washington: Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Murray (D-WA), Nay
West Virginia: Byrd (D-WV), Nay Rockefeller (D-WV), Nay
Wisconsin: Feingold (D-WI), Nay Kohl (D-WI), Nay
Wyoming: Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Yea