Senate tables Nelson’s abortion amendment 54-45
Democrats rejected legislation that would have banned federal support for abortions in their nationalized health care bill. That means the democratic health care legislation will result in the biggest expansion of taxpayer-funding of abortions since Roe v. Wade.
The Hill
Senators voted Tuesday afternoon to set aside a healthcare amendment that would have curbed federal support for abortion coverage.
Senators voted to table a measure from Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Pa.) that would have banned the government from offering insurance plans in a national healthcare exchange that cover abortion.
The amendment, which needed 60 votes to pass and was not expected to be adopted, was tabled in a 54-45 vote.
The provision, which mirrored restrictions in the House’s healthcare bill authored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Neb.), had been offered in part to win over Nelson, who’d previously warned he’d join a filibuster of the healthcare bill if it didn’t contain sufficient protections against federal support for abortion.
Democrats lost seven of their own members on the measure — Sens. Byron Dorgan (N.D.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), Evan Bayh (Ind.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Ted Kaufmann (Del.), Robert Casey (Pa.), and Mark Pryor (Ark.) — while two Maine’s two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, supported the tabling.
The tabling represents a victory for abortion-rights supporters who had worried that the amendment’s restrictions on abortion funding would go beyond what had previously been established by the Hyde amendment.
The roll call vote
Grouped by Home State
Alabama: Sessions (R-AL), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Alaska: Begich (D-AK), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
Arizona: Kyl (R-AZ), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Nay
Arkansas: Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Nay
California: Boxer (D-CA), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado: Bennet (D-CO), Yea Udall (D-CO), Yea
Connecticut: Dodd (D-CT), Yea Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea
Delaware: Carper (D-DE), Yea Kaufman (D-DE), Nay
Florida: LeMieux (R-FL), Nay Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Georgia: Chambliss (R-GA), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Hawaii: Akaka (D-HI), Yea Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Idaho: Crapo (R-ID), Nay Risch (R-ID), Nay
Illinois: Burris (D-IL), Yea Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Indiana: Bayh (D-IN), Nay Lugar (R-IN), Nay
Iowa: Grassley (R-IA), Nay Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Kansas: Brownback (R-KS), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Kentucky: Bunning (R-KY), Nay McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Louisiana: Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Maine: Collins (R-ME), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Maryland: Cardin (D-MD), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Massachusetts: Kerry (D-MA), Yea Kirk (D-MA), Yea
Michigan: Levin (D-MI), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota: Franken (D-MN), Yea Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Mississippi: Cochran (R-MS), Nay Wicker (R-MS), Nay
Missouri: Bond (R-MO), Nay McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Montana: Baucus (D-MT), Yea Tester (D-MT), Yea
Nebraska: Johanns (R-NE), Nay Nelson (D-NE), Nay
Nevada: Ensign (R-NV), Nay Reid (D-NV), Yea
New Hampshire: Gregg (R-NH), Nay Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
New Jersey: Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
New Mexico: Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Udall (D-NM), Yea
New York: Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina: Burr (R-NC), Nay Hagan (D-NC), Yea
North Dakota: Conrad (D-ND), Nay Dorgan (D-ND), Nay
Ohio: Brown (D-OH), Yea Voinovich (R-OH), Nay
Oklahoma: Coburn (R-OK), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Oregon: Merkley (D-OR), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania: Casey (D-PA), Nay Specter (D-PA), Yea
Rhode Island: Reed (D-RI), Yea Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
South Carolina: DeMint (R-SC), Nay Graham (R-SC), Nay
South Dakota: Johnson (D-SD), Yea Thune (R-SD), Nay
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Nay Corker (R-TN), Nay
Texas: Cornyn (R-TX), Nay Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Utah: Bennett (R-UT), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Vermont: Leahy (D-VT), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Yea
Virginia: Warner (D-VA), Yea Webb (D-VA), Yea
Washington: Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Murray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia: Byrd (D-WV), Not Voting Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Wisconsin: Feingold (D-WI), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Wyoming: Barrasso (R-WY), Nay Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Wild Thing’s comment……
Flush this bill down the toilet.
This atrocity is a done deal, and the Obama and the Democrats could not care less what we the people really want. It is not about healthcare; it is about unleashing unbridled power by the central government.
I didn’t think for one minute that the Liberals would ever approve a health bill that denied government abortion. Slimy bastards all of them that voted Yea on this one. How can these slimy bastards even look at a child, their own, their niece or nephew, their grandchild and still consider themselves to be humane? Murdering bastards all of those who support abortion of any type for any reason. Abortion is Murdering an innocent victim who is unable to protest the act.
It takes a spineless asshole to allow or be involved in an abortion. Anyone! These same lowlife types, (those who support any vestige of abortion), would deny America the death penalty for crimes. How convoluted is that?
“Never Forget Ft. Hood Texas 11/5/09!”
I haven’t enjoyed representation in this state – ever! They all voted for abortion.
“There are forty-seven states in the Union, and the Soviet of Washington,” Postmaster General James Farley joked in 1936. http://faculty.washington.edu/gregoryj/cpproject/
America is going through a very radical change. This is what obama wanted and he has the congessional votes to get most of what he wants. Those of us who hate what is happening can only hope that the 2010 elections begin to bring us back on line with The Constituition that is the heart and soul of America.
I think if we could overturn Roe v. Wade, the left would come completely unglued and self destruct as a party and break up into splinter groups filled with raging maniacs talking to themselves and probably talking in ‘tongues’. Abortion to the left is the highest sacrament of their perverse religion and gay rights comes in a close second.
They believe that anything that damages the fabric and unity of this country must be destroyed, in order to destroy the fabric which is our first legal document…”Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happeness”. Abortion is their first choice. They use the phrase ‘pro-life’ but that in itself is a lie. they are pro abortion first and formost, the more abortions the better they like it. It gives them complete control over the productive life of a single human being, the more abortions the more control they have.
If we are to take back our country we have a lot of work to do. This progressive movement started over 100 years ago and has been a festering sore just beneath the surface of our country’s skin. Then in the 60’s it came to a head and burst all of its poison got into society and now we have nothing but a group of progressive, aging hippies, who have come to power and are going to set their agenda up as our governing body. We have a constitution to protect and defend when we do that effectively we will get our country back then send these treasonous bastards to jail for life.
HUGE thank you everyone so much.