Abortion Measure Making Progress on Capitol Hill

It's called the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act - a measure that makes it a federal crime for doctors or other adults to help patients under 18 evade parental-notification requirements by crossing state lines for an abortion.  The bill also provides for possible fines and jail sentences.  The measure cleared the House this week and now goes before the Senate.

The bill passed the House by a wide margin with a vote of 270 to 157, with 216 Republicans in favor and 145 Democrats against. Crossing party lines were 54 Democrats who supported the bill and 11 Republicans who opposed it. The House passed similar bills in 1998, 1999 and 2002, but none passed the Senate.

There appears to be growing support for the measure in the Senate.  Senate Republicans announced in January that this measure was one of their top 10 priorities for the year.  A similar but not identical Senate bill has 37 co-sponsors.  No committee action is required on the House bill, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist could put it on the floor at any time.

President Bush is now urging the Senate to take up the measure saying that the bill would "protect the health and safety of minors by ensuring that state parental involvement laws are not circumvented."

We will keep you posted concerning this very important issue.