The House vote approving a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks, with a few exceptions mostly, cut along party lines, though three Democrats also said “aye” to the bill that is now headed for the Senate.
Illinois Rep. Daniel Lipinski, a co-sponsor of the bill, Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar and Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson all voted in favor of the bill that seeks to put a nationwide ban on abortions after 20 weeks of gestation. The bill comes from the theory that 20-week-old fetuses can feel pain, a claim that has been widely debunked by researchers and doctors. It passed 237 to 189 and must pass the Senate with a 60-vote majority. The White House has indicated it would sign the bill into law.
Rep. Daniel Lipinski, in favor of abortion ban
Lipinski’s anti-abortion stance has been well documented since he entered office in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional district in 2005. He’s sponsored or co-sponsored four bills that aimed to block access to abortions or block access to information about abortions, according to On The Issues, a nonpartisan organization that compiles information on politicians, including voting records. Lipinski is rated 100 percent by the National Right to Life Committee, indicating a pro-life voting record.
In 2008 Lipinski sponsored a bill to make it illegal to take minors across state lines for abortions without parental consent. He sponsored another bill in 2011 that would have banned abortions for sex or race selection. In 2013 he sponsored a bill prohibiting abortion information from being shared at school health centers and another bill that same year that barring federal funds from being allocated to family planning centers that recommend abortions.
Lipinski has also signed bills prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortions, prohibiting funding abortions under Obamacare, and he’s voted against bills that would expand embryonic stem cell research.
Rep. Collin Peterson, in favor of abortion ban
Peterson is also rated 100 percent by the NRLC, for his strong support of pro-life issues.
The Minnesota congressman has been in office since 1991 and has sponsored or co-sponsored five bills that would bar federal funds from being used to pay for abortions, as well as the Right to Life Act in 2007, which sought to guarantee the same rights for fetuses as exist for born humans. Peterson has voted in favor of banning partial-birth abortions, and other bills that restrict women’s access to abortion services. He’s also voted against expanding embryonic research initiatives.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, in favor of abortion ban
Cuellar scores 80 percent by the NRLC on abortion issues. The Texas congressman who has served since 2005 is against federal health coverage that includes abortion care and has voted in favor of bills banning the transport of minors across state lines for abortions. Cuellar, however, voted yes on bills seeking to expand embryonic stem cell research.
Two Republicans, congressmen Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey and Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania voted against the bill. Frelinghuysen seems to flip-flop on abortion issues. Dent, a moderate Republican who isn’t running for re-election and generally supports abortion rights.
