Abortion

The Senate passed a bill 65-34 criminalizing those who help girls under 18 in getting an out-of-state abortion without parental notification. Bowing to public support for parental notification and the GOP's 55-44-1 majority, Democrats spent the day trying to carve out an exemption for confidants to whom a girl with abusive parents might turn for help. It was rejected in floor negotiations: "I don’t think the American people support throwing Grandma in jail because she embraced her granddaughter and said, ‘Oh my God, I’m worried that your dad may hurt you if you tell the truth,’ said Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California." Senate Republicans also mobilized to reject an amendment by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) that would have funded programs to reduce the very teen pregnancies at issue in the bill that was passed. "We all want to reduce teen pregnancies and abortions. To achieve that, we must do what works, not what pleases political constituencies," said Lautenberg, referring to the GOP tendency to kiss up to the Religious Right, by supporting abstinence as the only solution to unwanted pregnancies. "A comprehensive approach to sex education, which includes both abstinence and information on contraception, is the proven way to reduce the number of teen pregnancies."

Republican's refusal to support stem-cell research funding had such a strong back-lash that they had to turn the focus back to abortion. - O.

[Sources: NY Times, ABC News]