Senate Passes Partial-Birth Abortion Ban By 63-34 Margin; Narrowly Approves Non-Binding Pro-Roe Statement

Shown below are the October 21, 1999 roll calls by which the U.S. Senate first approved a non-binding resolution endorsing the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand, and then passed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (S. 1692).

These events are described in detail in the story that appears on page 6 of this issue.

The first two votes shown below pertain to an amendment to S. 1692 offered by pro-abortion Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), expressing "the sense of the Congress" that "Roe v. Wade was an appropriate decision and secures an important constitutional right; and such decision should not be overturned."

This amendment would have no binding legal effect, but Senator Harkin said that he thought that senators should go on record on Roe v. Wade, which he called "elegant in its simplicity and its straightforwardness."

The first vote (column no. 1) was on a motion by pro-life Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) to table (kill) the Harkin Amendment. This pro-life motion failed, 48-51. (Senate roll call no. 336.)

The second vote (column no. 2) was on adoption of the Harkin Amend-ment, which was approved 51-47. (Senate roll call no. 337.) On this vote, 43 Democrats and eight Republicans voted to endorse Roe v. Wade, while two Democrats and 45 Republicans voted against it. Two senators opposed to the amendment, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Sen. John McCain (R-Az.), were absent.

After disposing of other amendments to the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Senate passed the bill 63-34, shown below in column no. 3. (Senate roll call no. 340.)

The bill was supported by 49 Republicans and 14 Democrats. It was opposed by three Republicans and 31 Democrats. Absent were two senators who support the bill, Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Connie Mack (R-Fl.), and one senator who opposed the bill, John Chafee (R-RI). Thus, if all senators had voted, the tally would have been 65-35-- two votes short of the two-thirds majority that would be required to pass the bill over President Clinton's anticipated veto.

President Clinton has successfully vetoed the bill twice before, and his vetoes have been sustained in the Senate, most recently on September 18, 1998, by a vote of 64-36.

The House will take up the bill early next year.

KEY

X Pro-life vote
O Pro-abortion vote
? Absent or not voting

Alabama
Shelby (R) X X X
Sessions, J. (R) X X X

Alaska
Stevens (R) O O X
Murkowski (R) X X X

Arizona
McCain (R) ? ? X
Kyl (R) X X X

Arkansas
Hutchinson, T. (R) X X X
Lincoln (D) O O X

California
Feinstein (D) O O O
Boxer (D) O O O

Colorado
Campbell, B. (R) O O X
Allard (R) X X X

Connecticut
Dodd (D) O O O
Lieberman (D) O O O

Delaware
Roth (R) X X X
Biden (D) O O X

Florida
Graham, B. (D) O O O
Mack (R) X X ?

Georgia
Coverdell (R) X X X
Cleland (D) O O O

Hawaii
Inouye (D) O O O
Akaka (D) O O O

Idaho
Craig (R) X X X
Crapo (R) X X X

Illinois
Durbin (D) O O O
Fitzgerald (R) X X X

Indiana
Lugar (R) X X X
Bayh (D) O O X
Iowa
Grassley (R) X X X
Harkin (D) O O O

Kansas
Brownback (R) X X X
Roberts (R) X X X

Kentucky
McConnell (R) X X X
Bunning (R) X X X

Louisiana
Breaux (D) X X X
Landrieu (D) O O X

Maine
Snowe (R) O O O
Collins, S. (R) O O O

Maryland
Sarbanes (D) O O O
Mikulski (D) O O O

Massachusetts
Kennedy, E. (D) O O O
Kerry, J. (D) O O O

Michigan
Levin, C. (D) O O O
Abraham (R) X X X

Minnesota
Wellstone (D) O O O
Grams, R. (R) X X X

Mississippi
Cochran (R) X X X
Lott (R) X X X

Missouri
Bond (R) X X X
Ashcroft (R) X X X

Montana
Baucus, M. (D) O O O
Burns (R) X X X

Nebraska
Kerrey, R. (D) O O O
Hagel (R) X X X

Nevada
Reid, H. (D) X X X
Bryan (D) O O O

New Hampshire
Smith, R.C. (R) X X X
Gregg (R) X ? ?

New Jersey
Lautenberg (D) O O O
Torricelli (D) O O O

New Mexico
Domenici (R) X X X
Bingaman (D) O O O

New York
Moynihan (D) O O X
Schumer (D) O O O
North Carolina
Helms (R) X X X
Edwards, J. (D) O O O

North Dakota
Conrad (D) O O X
Dorgan (D) O O X

Ohio
DeWine (R) X X X
Voinovich (R) X X X

Oklahoma
Nickles (R) X X X
Inhofe (R) X X X

Oregon
Wyden (D) O O O
Smith, G. (R) X X X

Pennsylvania
Specter (R) O O X
Santorum (R) X X X

Rhode Island
Reed, J. (D) O O O
Chafee, J. (R) O O ?

South Carolina
Thurmond, S. (R) X X X
Hollings (D) O O X

South Dakota
Daschle (D) O O X
Johnson, T. (D) O O X

Tennessee
Thompson, F. (R) X X X
Frist (R) X X X

Texas
Gramm, P. (R) X X X
Hutchison, K. (R) X X X

Utah
Hatch (R) X X X
Bennett (R) X X X

Vermont
Leahy (D) O O X
Jeffords (R) O O O

Virginia
Warner (R) O O X
Robb (D) O O O

Washington
Gorton, S. (R) X X X
Murray (D) O O O

West Virginia
Byrd (D) O O X
Rockefeller (D) O O O

Wisconsin
Kohl (D) O O O
Feingold (D) O O O

Wyoming
Thomas, C. (R) X X X
Enzi (R) X X X