Legislation for the Unborn

By 

Nathanael Bennett

|
June 25, 2011

2 min read

Pro Life

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It will be a short session before Congress adjourns leaving little time to address some of the key Congressional issues still being debated - including the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act.

Republican leadership indicate that the lame duck session will be brief with an expected recess to occur no later than Friday of this week.

ACLJ Director of Government Affairs Drew Ryun indicates that while the Appropriations Bills will likely not be addressed and a Continuing Resolution passed in their stead, the House of Representatives will take up some bills on the suspension calendar.

One of those bills will be the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act that requires abortion providers to tell a woman whose pregnacy is 20 weeks past fertilization "there is substantial evidence" that the unborn child will feel pain during the procedure.  Because it will be brought up on the suspension calendar, the bill will need a two thirds majority to pass, a tough test for any bill much less one of this nature.

In a move that clearly signals they want to avoid a controversial vote, the Democrat leadership has said they will let their members vote their consciences - a move that will allow the bill to receive a strong majority vote, but not the two thirds that it needs to pass.  Given the nature of the election results on November 7th, it appears that this could be the last major pro-life piece of legislation that we see in the House as the newly elected Democrat leadership has indicated they will not consider any abortion legislation in the 110th Congress.

On the Senate side, it appears that after a year of being stuck in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Majority Leader Bill Frist will attempt to 'hotline' Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe's eminent domain bill this week. Inhofe's bill is in response to the Supreme Court Kelo vs. New London decision. The House version of it passed one year ago by a vote of 376-38, but it appears at this late date, Democrats in the Senate will likely put a hold on the bill, keeping it from receiving a floor vote before the Senate recesses later this week.