Nearly a week after the House of Representatives voted to defund Planned Parenthood for a year, the Senate tried to forward another vote on a piece of pro-life legislation Tuesday morning. This time, however, their efforts were unsuccessful. The Pain-capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks, has failed to reach the 60 votes it needed to proceed.
Final vote on Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in the Senate was 54-42. Bill does not advance. #theyfeelpain
— Susan B Anthony List (@SBAList) September 22, 2015
Twenty weeks is an important milestone for unborn babies, because it’s the point at which they can start to feel pain. This scientific fact makes the 42 “no” votes all the more shocking and inhumane. Two of those senators happened to be Republicans: Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).
Ahead of today’s vote, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a 2016 presidential candidate, introduced the bill by describing the kind of America he would like to live in:
"I want our country to be a place that welcomes the unborn,” he said.
You'd think all our elected officials would agree, yet dozens of senators proved today that their pro-abortion ideological agendas are more important.
On the bright side, there was bipartisan support:
Three Democrats joined with Republicans to support the pro-life bill, including Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Joe Donnelly of Indiana.
Today’s vote will not stifle efforts to halt taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, which appears to be next on the Senate’s docket. If you’re wondering why there is such an urgency to defund this “women’s health care” business, follow the Center for Medical Progress’s investigation.