How They Voted

H.R.1105: Wicker Amdmt to omnibus Bill

Senate Defeats Pro-Life Amdmt to Stop Funding to UNFPA 55-39

Catholic Senators 15-8

requires Funding appropriated for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are not used by organizations which support coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization

Did the rebuking Senator Casey (PA-D) received from Bishop Martino for his past anti-life vote help influence his support for this pro-life amendment?

Calling All Catholics

Please thank the Senators who voted to uphold a Culture of Life.

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

Overall Vote Counts:
YEAs 39
NAYs 55
Not Voting 5

Catholic Vote Count: 26

YEA'S 8: Brownback (R-KS), Bunning (R-KY), Casey (D-PA), Martinez (R-FL), Murkowski (R-AK), Vitter (R-LA),Risch(R-ID), Voinovich (R-OH)

NAY'S 15: Begich (D-AK), Cantwell (D-WA), Collins (R-ME), Dodd (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Gillibrand (D-NY), Harkin (D-IA), Kaufman (D-DE), Kerry (D-MA), Leahy (D-VT), McCaskill (D-MO), Menendez (D-NJ), Mikulski (D-MD), Murray (D-WA), Reed (D-RI),

Not Voting 3: Johanns (R-NE), Kennedy (D-MA), Landrieu (D-LA),

Vote Number:	81	Vote Date:	March 5, 2009, 12:11 PM
Required For Majority:	1/2	Vote Result:	Amendment Rejected
Amendment Number:	S.Amdt. 607 to H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009)

The Senate rejected an amendment to the Omnibus bill, H.R.1105 that would have stopped U.S. taxpayers dollars from funding the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The Senate voted 55-39 opposing an amendment proposed by Senator Roger Wicker. Fifteen Catholic Senators contributed to defeating this pro-life amendment which would have reinstated the Kemp Kasten provision, prohibiting funding to groups that are complicit in forced sterilization and abortion population control programs.

President Bush had used his authority under the Kemp-Kasten Amendment to withhold funds from the UNFPA because of their support for China’s one-child policy that utilizes forced abortion. 

The House appropriations committee restored funding to UNFPA in the Omnibus Appropriation bill - H.R. 1105, which passed the House last week. The House bill includes $50 million for UNFPA.

With twenty-six (26) Catholic Senators in the senate, only eight voted to deny this funding. Senator Casey was the sole Catholic Democrat to support the amendment.

Recently, Senator Casey has found himself under fire from his local ordinary, Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino for his "NAY" vote on an amendment to reinstate the Mexico City policy. The amendment would have rescinded Obama's executive order, thereby prohibiting U.S. tax dollars from going to organizations abroad that provide and promote abortion.

In a letter Bishop Martino condemned Casey's anti-life vote and urged him "to consider that Church documents speak clearly and compellingly on the special responsibility that falls to you as a lawmaker to oppose abortion and other clear evils."

It seems the Senator took the Bishops pastoral counsel to heart. Let us hope that this indicates a new appreciation and understanding for human life.  Bravo Senator Casey!

Bravo Senator Casey!

Other Links: Bishop Again Voices Concern Regarding Sen. Casey’s Mexico City Policy Vote
Bishop Asks Sen. Casey to Rescind Vote on Policy Affecting Overseas Abortions

To contact your Senator

To thank Senator Casey

*Catholic senators are highlighted

Alabama:	Sessions (R-AL), Not Voting	Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Alaska:	Begich (D-AK), Nay	Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
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), Yea	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), Yea	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), Not Voting	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), Not Voting	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), Not Voting	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), Yea	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