Posted on 12/11/2001 11:44:06 AM PST by IM2Phat4U
October 23, 2001
Pro-Life Policies Quashed
By Charles R. MiVille, Washington, D.C., correspondent
Pro-life issues have taken a beating in Congress. One amendment recently went down to defeat, and two others were withdrawn before they ever received a vote.
In his campaign for president, then-Gov. George W. Bush pledged his support for funding abstinence education equal to so-called "safe sex" programs. Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla., seized the challenge, offering an amendment to the annual funding bill for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor/HHS/Education) departments. However, Istook's amendment was crushed in a 106-311 House vote two weeks ago, amid a purported desire among many lawmakers to finish appropriations bills without any additional controversial amendments.
That sentiment apparently impacted two other amendments that never even made it to a vote. One, sponsored by Rep. David Vitter, R-La., would have banned federal "family planning" funds from flowing to abortion providers. Michael Schwartz, vice president of government relations for Concerned Women for America, believes the public is strongly in favor of stopping family planning funds from going to abortionists.
"It is something that is in keeping with the whole point of the family planning program," Schwartz said. "After all, why should we be funding abortionists?"
He noted, however, that Congressman Ralph Regula, chairman of the subcommittee that oversees the Labor/HHS/Education appropriations bill, went to extraordinary lengths to line up votes against the Vitter amendment. Faced with such opposition, Vitter pulled the amendment, vowing to try again next year.
Schwartz said Vitter really had no choice.
Rep. Melissa Hart, R-Pa., also planned to offer her amendment banning federal funds to public schools if they distribute "morning after" pills to students. Before she could offer the amendment, however, House Speaker Dennis Hastert asked her to withdraw it before it came up for a vote.
Hastert reportedly promised Hart a House vote on her legislation at some future time.
Meantime, John Paulton, of Focus on the Family, says pro-lifers have to get busy, "basically to show the elected officials in Congress that the American people won't stand silently by while abortion is funded by their tax dollars."
It is a shame beyond measure!
Very good! And I hope folks will start working on Ralph Regula and there own Congressman right now. This will be a battle.
Well let's see, Poobah. Planned Parenthood spent millions in its effort to defeat George W. Bush. It spent a million or so in its effort to stop Ashcroft. It even maintained an anti-Republican website www.ROEvBUSH.com which it finally pulled after September 11.
And yet, the GOP just allowed $66 million in our tax dollars to go to Planned Parenthood. Sounds like the brain trust at the GOP is "suspicious" of the wrong group.
The LOCAL Republicans have plenty of reason to be suspicious and distrustful of the LOCAL pro-life contingent.
And, from what I've heard, other LOCAL pro-life groups have pulled this stunt as well.
Stuff like this eventually gets back to the RNC. We are the authors of our own woes on this issue.
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