Largely Symbolic Proposal To Permanently Ban Federal Funding For Abortion Knocked Down In Senate
The legislation would have enshrined in law a long-standing provision that is tacked on to appropriations bills every year, but the measure wasn't expected to get the 60 votes it needed to begin the debate. The vote was scheduled just ahead of the country's largest annual march against abortion.
Politico:
Senate Measure Banning Abortion Funds Defeated
Senate Republicans on Thursday failed to muster the 60 votes needed to approve a permanent ban on federal funding of abortion, a largely symbolic effort timed to coincide with the country’s largest annual anti-abortion demonstration in Washington this week. The Senate vote was the first on an anti-abortion measure since Republicans narrowly expanded their majority in the chamber in the 2018 midterms, and it marked a sharp contrast with House Democrats' plans to loosen restrictions on taxpayer support for the procedure. (Ollstein, 1/17)
The Hill:
Senate Rejects Government-Wide Ban On Abortion Funding
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) broke with their party to vote against the measure while Democratic Sens. Bob Casey (Pa.) and Joe Manchin (W.V.) voted with Republicans. Democrats criticized McConnell for holding a vote on the bill instead of voting on House-passed measures to end the government shutdown. "We know that a bill opening the government would pass the Senate, yet we're voting on a bill attacking women's health," tweeted Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). (Hellmann, 1/17)
CQ:
Abortion Funding Ban Defeated In Senate
The legislation (S 109), introduced by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., would permanently prohibit federal funding for abortion, with exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the woman’s life. It is similar to the so-called Hyde amendment, an annual appropriations rider that bans federal funding of abortion, but Wicker's bill would not have to be renewed and is broader in scope. Unlike the Hyde amendment, the bill also would bar funding for health benefits that cover abortion that are authorized or appropriated under federal law, would ban abortion from being subsidized and would mandate that tax credits under the 2010 health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152) not be used to pay for plans that cover abortion. It also would ban abortion in all federal health facilities. (Raman, 1/17)
CQ:
Anti-Abortion Groups Push Fetal Tissue, Family Planning Changes
Thousands of abortion opponents will take to the streets on Friday for the nation’s largest annual anti-abortion rally, coinciding with a flood of anti-abortion action from government officials that underscore the movement’s priorities for 2019. The March for Life is held every January to protest the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court case that guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion nationwide. (Raman, 1/17)
The Hill:
Abortion Foes March Into Divided Washington
The country's largest annual march against abortion comes to Washington on Friday, and this year there’s a new sense of urgency and frustration from a voting bloc that helped put President Trump in the White House. With virtually no chance of moving abortion restrictions through a divided Congress, anti-abortion activists are re-applying pressure on the Trump administration to take executive action ahead of the 2020 elections. (Hellmann, 1/18)
And in news from the states —
WBUR:
New Bill Would Eliminate Parental Consent Laws For Minors Seeking Abortion In Mass.
A new bill in the Massachusetts Legislature could make it easier for minors to get an abortion. The bill, An Act to Remove Obstacles and Expand Abortion Access, known as the ROE Act, does many things, but front and center is a provision to eliminate the need for parental consent. (Wasser, 1/17)
The Associated Press:
Nonprofit Reapplies To Open South Bend Abortion Clinic
A nonprofit group that had been denied a state license to open a South Bend abortion clinic reapplied for one Thursday instead of challenging the decision in court. Texas-based Whole Woman's Health Alliance reapplied for the license Thursday, avoiding what it feared would be a lengthy legal battle, the South Bend Tribune reported. (1/17)
