What's Happening to Pro-Life Legislation in Congress? RINOs and Democrats in Control
The Vitter Amendment
Congressman David Vitter (R-LA) offered an important pro-life amendment to the Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations bill. The amendment denies Title X (ten) family planning funds to Planned Parenthood or any other agency or clinic that provides a chemical or surgical abortion.
This amendment is extremely important because, as John Cusey, executive director of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, reminded us in his memo of October 1, Currently many abortion providers obtain federal family planning funds to establish a financial base for their business, gain access to new customers, and improve their image -- in effect keeping some abortion providers in business. Even though the Title X dollars may not be used directly for abortions, these subsidies to the abortion industry are contrary to both the intent of the law (which specifies that Title X funds may not be used in programs in which abortion is a method of family planning ) and to public opinion, which is strongly opposed to federal subsidies to the abortion industry.
Enter the pro-abortion RINOs (Republicans in name only), led by Labor, HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman, Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), and ranking Democrat, Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI). According to our sources, these men organized enough votes to defeat the Vitter Amendment. Consequently, Congressman Vitter chose to offer his amendment and then withdraw it, rather than lose. As long as Republicans who justify abortion in some or all circumstances continue to win election, good pro-life legislation is destined to suffer the same fate. Read on.
The Hart Amendment
Rep. Melissa Hart is a staunchly pro-life new Member of Congress from Pennsylvania. She sponsored an amendment that prohibits the use of federal funds for school-based clinics that distribute the abortifacient morning-after pill to minors. The amendment has passed the House with wide margins before, and Speaker of the House Denny Hastert reportedly promised Rep. Hart that she would be able to offer her amendment. But again, the RINO s and the Democrats prevailed. According to our sources, Congressmen Regula and Obey threatened Speaker Hastert that they would bring down their own spending bill if the amendment were offered, a disruption that always horrifies House leaders. Rather than call the appropriator s bluff, Hastert got Hart, as a personal favor, to drop the amendment. So many promises get broken the morning after. ( Hastert Flip-Flop, by John J. Miller and Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Bulletin: National Review s Internet Update for October 11, 2001 http://www.nationalreview.)