SENATE ROLL CALL VOTES
Partial-Birth Abortion
Senate Votes No. 1-2
1-2.Following passage of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (HR 1122) by the House on March 20, 1997 (see House Vote No. 1), the Senate took up the bill. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) agreed to some harmless changes in the bill, in order to secure the endorsement of the American Medical Association. On May 20, 1997, the Senate approved the revised bill, 64-36, shown here as Vote No. 1 (Senate roll call 71).
On Oct. 8, 1997, the House concurred in the Senate's revisions (see House Vote No. 2). On October 10, 1997, President Clinton vetoed the bill. On July 23, 1998, the House voted to override the veto (see House Vote No. 3).
On Sept. 18, 1998, the Senate voted on whether to override the veto. The roll call, shown here as Vote No. 2 (Senate roll call 277) was the same as before - - 64-36 - - which was three votes short of the two-thirds majority required to override the veto. Therefore, the bill died for the year.
Abortion on Military Bases
Senate Votes No. 3-4
3-4.Votes No. 3 and No. 4 deal with the issue of whether U.S. military medical facilities should provide abortions.
In 1996, Congress (over President Clinton's objections) enacted a ban on the performance of abortions at U.S. military medical facilities (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest), even if the direct costs were paid by the clients. On July 10, 1997, pro-abortion Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wa.) offered an amendment to the Fiscal Year 1998 Defense Authorization bill (S. 936) to repeal the pro-life policy and require military facilities to provide abortion on request to military personnel and dependents, with clients paying the direct costs. The Murray Amendment was rejected, 48-51, shown here as Vote No. 3 (Senate roll call 167).
Sen. Murray tried again a year later, on June 25, 1998, but her amendment was again rejected, 44-49, shown here as Vote No. 4 (Senate roll call 176). The pro-life policy remains in effect.
Transportation of Minors for Abortions
Senate Vote No. 5
5.The Child Custody Protection Act would make it a federal crime to transport a minor across a state line for an abortion, if this circumvents a state law requiring parental or judicial involvement in the minor's abortion decision. The bill would protect the effectiveness of the parental involvement laws of more than 20 states.
The House passed its version of this bill (HR 3682) on July 15, 1998 (see House Votes No. 6-7). But when pro-life Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Ms.) attempted to move the identical Senate bill (S. 1645) through the Senate in early September, 1998, senior Democrats, led by Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), insisted on the right to offer controversial non-germane "killer" amendments to the bill, dealing with issues such as gun control and health maintenance organizations. This is a tactic sometimes used in the Senate to obstruct legislation, and it can be particularly effective during the crush of business in the closing weeks of a session.
In an attempt to overcome this obstructionism, Sen. Lott and chief bill sponsor Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mi.) attempted to "invoke cloture."
If successful, this motion - - which requires the votes of 60 of the 100 senators - - would have eliminated unrelated amendments, while permitting limited debate and votes on germane amendments.
In a Sept. 21 letter to the Senate, NRLC noted, "Invocation of cloture is necessary to pass the bill. A vote against cloture amounts to a vote to kill the bill, and will be so reported in NRLC's scorecard of key right-to-life votes of the 105th Congress."
The Sept. 22, 1998 attempt to invoke cloture failed, 54 to 45 - - six votes short of the necessary 60 votes - - effectively killing the legislation for this year. The roll call is shown here as Vote No. 5 (Senate roll call 282).
Sen. Abraham announced that he would revive the bill early in 1999.
Federal Funding of Abortion
Senate Vote No. 6
6.The Budget Reconciliation Act for Fiscal 1998 (S. 947), an omnibus spending bill, created a new program of federal aid to states to provide health insurance coverage for persons under age 19 (known as the "kidcare" program). The bill also contained a "Hyde Amendment" provision to prohibit states from using the federal "kidcare" funds to pay for health plans that cover abortion (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest). On June 25, 1997, pro-abortion Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Ne.) offered an amendment to strike the pro-life provision. The Kerrey Amendment was rejected, 39-61. This pro-life win is shown here as Vote No. 6 (Senate roll call 129). The pro-life language subsequently was enacted as part of the permanent law governing the "kidcare" program.
Abortion Insurance for Federal Employees
Senate Vote No. 7
7.On July 22, 1997, during Senate consideration of the Fiscal Year 1998 appropriations bill for the Treasury Department and certain other federal agencies (S. 1023), pro-life Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) offered an amendment to continue an existing ban on coverage of abortions (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest) under federal employees' health insurance plans. The DeWine Amendment passed, 54-45, shown here as Vote No. 7 (Senate roll call 190). The pro-life policy was therefore continued. (See also House Vote No. 11.)
Abortion-Dependent Fetal Tissue Experimentation
Senate Vote No. 8
8.On Sept. 4, 1997, the Senate considered an amendment to an appropriations bill, offered by Sens. Paul Wellstone (D-Mn.) and John McCain (R-Az.), to authorize expanded funding for research into Parkinson's disease. Pro-life Senator Dan Coats (R-In.) offered an NRLC-backed perfecting amendment to prohibit the use of these federal funds for any experimentation using tissue or organs taken from any human embryo or fetus killed by induced abortion, but permitting funding of experimentation on tissues obtained from spontaneous abortions or ectopic pregnancies. Sens. Wellstone and McCain opposed the Coats Amendment, and the pro-life amendment was rejected, 38-60, shown here as Vote No. 8 (Senate roll call 215). The bill was subsequently enacted with no pro-life provision.
Foreign Aid for Abortion-Promoting Organizations
Senate Votes No. 9-10
9-10.The U.S. spends about a half-billion dollars annually on so-called "population assistance" programs overseas. Much of this money is spent in countries in Latin America, Africa, and elsewhere that have laws protecting unborn children from abortion. The Clinton Administration has used this program to aggressively push its doctrine that abortion should be legalized as a "fundamental right" in all nations. The Administration funds organizations - - such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) - - that actively campaign to legalize abortion in less-developed nations.
Vote No. 9 (Senate roll call 13), which occurred on Feb. 25, 1997, was on a resolution backed by President Clinton (H.J. Res. 36) to allow the Clinton Administration to spend an additional $123 million in foreign aid "population assistance" funds during Fiscal Year 1997, without pro-life language to curb the Administration's promotion of legalized abortion through the program. Over the objections of NRLC and other pro-life groups, the resolution passed, 53-46 - - a pro-life loss.
On April 28, 1998, the Senate considered the final version (called a "conference report") of a bill to reauthorize the State Department (HR 1757). The most controversial provision in the conference report was language, sponsored by pro-life Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), to cut off U.S. "population assistance" funds to private organizations that campaign to legalize abortion in foreign nations, or that violate other nations' abortion laws. The White House opposed the bill, while NRLC supported it. The Senate approved the measure, 51-49, shown here as Vote No. 10 (Senate roll call 105). At the deadline for this scorecard (Oct. 12, 1998), President Clinton was expected to veto this bill.
Federal Funding for Assisted Suicide
Senate Vote No. 11
11.The NRLC-backed Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act (HR 1003) provided that neither federal funds (such as Medicare or Medicaid) nor federal facilities (such as veterans' and military hospitals) may be used to provide "assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing." The House passed the bill on April 10, 1997, by a vote of 398-16 (see House Vote No. 18). On April 16, 1997, with the support of chief Senate sponsor Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.), the Senate passed the bill 99-0, shown here as Vote No. 11 (Senate roll call 44). On April 18, 1997, President Clinton signed the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act into law.
Medicare: Right to Purchase Unrationed Insurance
Senate Vote No. 12
12.Medicare is the program under which government health insurance is provided to older people and, in some cases, people with disabilities. Because of the coming retirement of the "baby boom" generation, it is clear that under present projections, in the future the amount of funds the government will provide for each Medicare beneficiary to cover health care will be substantially less than it pays out now (after taking medical inflation into account). That would require rationing of health care, including denial of payment for treatments necessary to save lives. Even if a Medicare beneficiary were willing to pay more to obtain unrationed care, this option had been closed off by federal law.
As part of the Fiscal Year 1998 Balanced Budget Act (S. 947), the Senate Finance Committee approved a provision under which older Americans would be given the option of "private fee-for-service" Medicare plans, and the option of adding their own funds to government payments in order to get such plans. These plans would allow you to choose your own doctor or hospital, and would be able to set premiums at a rate that would avoid rationing. Under complex rules of procedure, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) was able to raise a point of order against this recommendation, but Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) was able to move that this point of order be "waived." Adoption of such a motion requires 60 votes.
Because NRLC regards government-imposed rationing of lifesaving health care as a form of involuntary euthanasia, it strongly supported the Domenici motion. A "no" vote was effectively a vote to force involuntary death on innumerable older Americans by making it impossible for them even to use their own money to obtain unrationed health insurance. A "yes" vote (the NRLC position) was a vote to permit older Americans at least to use their own money to escape such rationing.
The Domenici motion prevailed, 62-37, on the roll call shown here as Vote No. 12 (Senate roll call 122), conducted on June 25, 1997. Ultimately the pro-life Senate position also prevailed in negotiations with the House and President Clinton, and was enacted as part of S. 947.
Medicare: Right to Purchase Unrationed Health Care
Senate Vote No. 13
13.The federal government imposes price controls on doctors and other health care providers for care given to those eligible for Medicare. In some cases, the federal payments fall below the cost of providing treatment - - which means that many health-care providers are unwilling to provide the treatments. To make matters worse, under current law, Medicare beneficiaries are not permitted to pay for such treatment themselves, unless the doctor who provides the treatment agrees not to receive Medicare payments for any patients for two years. This provision effectively prevents older Americans from purchasing needed - - in some cases lifesaving - - medical treatment with their own money.
On April 1, 1998, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Az.) offered an amendment to the Fiscal Year 1999 Budget Resolution to express the "sense of Congress" in favor of eliminating the restriction on physicians who want to provide such privately paid services to persons who are also covered by Medicare. NRLC supported the Kyl Amendment, which was adopted, 51-47, shown here as Vote No. 13 (Senate roll call 53). However, this vote was non-binding, and the restriction on physicians remains the law.
Free Speech About Politicians ("Campaign Reform")
Senate Votes No. 14-15
14-15.As explained in the material describing House Votes No. 19-20, the "campaign reform" legislation authored by Senators John McCain (R-Az.) and Russell Feingold (D-Wi.) contained provisions that would severely restrict the right of citizen groups, such as NRLC and NRLC affiliates, to communicate with the public regarding the voting records and positions of those who hold or seek federal office.
In the Senate during 1997-98, this legislation had the support of 52 senators, a majority which included all 45 Democrats and seven Republicans. However, supporters of the bill were unable to muster the 60 votes required under Senate rules to "invoke cloture" and end a filibuster against the bill led by pro-life Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
On Vote No. 14 (Senate roll call 273), conducted on Oct. 9, 1997, 52 senators supported cloture and 47 opposed it - - eight votes short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bill.
On Feb. 25, 1998, Sen. McCain tried again. Sen. McConnell moved to table (kill) the McCain-Feingold proposal. This motion failed, 48-50 - - shown here as Vote No. 15 (Senate roll call 15), but the bill did not advance, because supporters remained eight votes short of cloture.
A third attempt by Sen. McCain, in September, 1998, brought the same result. Sen. McCain has vowed to again try to pass such legislation in 1999.
Short Descriptions of Senate Votes
Here are short descriptions of the basic issue for each Senate roll call vote recorded in this scorecard. For more complete descriptions, please see the explanatory material above.
Votes 1-2: Should partial-birth abortions be banned, except to save the life of the mother?
Votes 3-4: Should U.S. military medical facilities be prohibited from performing abortions, except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest?
Vote 5: Should the Senate advance a bill to make it a federal crime for a non-parent to take a minor girl across state lines for an abortion, if this circumvents a state law that says her parents (or a judge) have a right to be involved in her abortion decision?
Vote 6: Should states be prohibited from using federal funds to pay for "kidcare" health plans that cover abortions (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest)?
Vote 7: Should federal employees' health insurance plans be prohibited from covering abortions (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest)?
Vote 8: Should federal funds be used for experimentation using tissues or organs taken from human babies killed by induced abortion?
Vote 9: Should the Clinton Administration be authorized to accelerate spending on foreign aid for "population assistance," without safeguards to curb the Administration's promotion of abortion through the program?
Vote 10: Should the Senate approve a bill containing a provision denying U.S. foreign aid "population assistance" to private organizations that perform abortions or that campaign to legalize abortion in foreign nations?
Vote 11: Should federal funds and facilities be used to provide physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia, or "mercy killing"?
Vote 12: Should older Americans be permitted to add their own money to government payments to get unrationed, fee-for-service health insurance under Medicare?
Vote 13: Should physicians who treat older Americans who pay for
the treatment with their own funds be allowed to treat Medicare patients
as well?
Votes 14-15: Should federal law restrict the right of citizen groups
to freely criticize or praise the positions or voting records of federal
politicians in communications to the public?
Key to Vote Symbols
X Vote for pro-life policy (supported NRLC position)
0 Vote for anti-life policy (opposed NRLC position)
? Absent or not voting
P Voted "present"
C Voted "present" to avoid possible conflict of interest
I Not a Senator at the time of the vote