Federal NRLC Scorecard - 110th Congress, Combined Sessions

On January 11, 2007, the House of Representatives debated H.R. 3, authored by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Co.) and Mike Castle (R-De.), a bill that would mandate federal funding of the type of stem cell research that requires the killing of human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells. The embryos would be those "donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, [and that] were created for the purposes of fertility treatment," after authorization by the parents. The bill, which NRLC strongly opposed, is intended to overturn the pro-life policy that President Bush announced on August 9, 2001, under which federal funds do not support research that requires the killing of human embryos.  The House Democratic leadership brought the bill to the floor under a "closed rule," which allowed the pro-life side to offer only a single proposed modification to the bill.  This amendment (technically called a "motion to recommit with instructions") would have added language to the bill to prohibit any of the funds authorized by the bill from being given to labs or other entities that do research on stem cells obtained from human embryos created by cloning.  NRLC is opposed to human cloning, so NRLC supported this anti-human-cloning motion/amendment, but it failed, 189-238, a vote shown in this scorecard as Vote No. 1.  House roll call no. 19, January 11, 2007.  (The House then passed H.R. 3 on a vote of 253-174, shown in this scorecard as Vote No. 2.)

Vote No. 2 was the second roll call conducted during the January 11, 2007 debate in the House of Representatives on H.R. 3, a bill that would mandate federal funding of the type of stem cell research that requires the killing of human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells.  NRLC opposed H.R. 3, but it passed, 253 to 174.  On this roll call, 37 Republicans and 216 Democrats (253 total) voted to pass H.R. 3, while 158 Republicans and 16 Democrats (174 total) voted against H.R. 3 (pro-life).  The bill was then sent to the Senate for further action.  House roll call no. 20, January 11, 2007. 

NRLC opposed this bill (H.R. 4), sponsored by Rep. John Dingell (D-Mi.), because it would effectively prevent older people from being allowed to spend their own money, if they choose, to save their own lives through access to unrationed prescription drugs under Medicare.  Under the guise of “government negotiation” the bill would result in the imposition of price controls that would limit access to and discourage the development of innovative life-saving medicines.  However, the House passed the bill, 255 to 170.  The bill was then sent to the Senate for further action.  The bill was supported by 24 Republicans and 231 Democrats.  It was opposed by 170 Republicans.  Roll call no. 23, January 12, 2007.  [To read NRLC's letters of January 2 and 10, 2007, to House members in opposition to H.R. 4, and for further information on the danger of drug rationing in Medicare, click here.]

H.R. 2560, sponsored by pro-cloning Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Co.), is deceptively titled "The Human Cloning Prohibition Act."  But in reality H.R. 2560 does not ban any human cloning at all.  H.R. 2560 would allow the creation of any number of cloned human embryos, for the specific purpose of harvesting their stem cells or using them in other research that will kill them.  H.R. 2560 actually bans only allowing a human clone to live, by implanting her or him "into a uterus or the functional equivalent of a uterus," or "to ship, mail, transport, or receive" such an embryo.  NRLC strongly opposes this "clone-and-kill bill."  (To read NRLC's letter to House members opposing the bill, click here.)  On June 6, 2007, less than 24 hours after the bill was introduced, the House Democratic leadership brought it to the House floor under a fast-track procedure known as "Suspension of the Rules," under which no amendments could be considered.  Under this procedure a two-thirds vote would have been required for approval -- but the bill fell short even of a simply majority, failing on a vote of 204 to 213.  This clone-and-kill bill was supported by 190 Democrats and 14 Republicans, and was opposed by 31 Democrats and 182 Republicans.  House roll call no. 439, June 6, 2007.

The "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act" (S. 5), sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nv.), would mandate federal funding of the type of stem cell research that requires the killing of human embryos.  This bill would overturn President Bush's policy that prohibits such funding.  NRLC strongly opposes S. 5.  On this roll call, by a vote of 247 to 176, the the House gave final approval to S. 5, clearing the bill to be sent to President Bush, who had already said he would veto it.  S. 5 was supported by 210 Democrats and 37 Republicans.  It was opposed by 16 Democrats and 160 Republicans.  Roll call no. 443, June 7, 2007.  (Note:  S. 5 is similar to H.R. 3, which the House approved on January 11, 2007, on the roll call that appears in column no. 1 in this scorecard.  However, the Senate subsequently chose to act on its own version of the bill, S. 5, rather than passing H.R. 3.)

Under President Bush's pro-life "Mexico City Policy," private overseas organizations that "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning" are not eligible to receive funds under the U.S. foreign aid program for "population assistance."  The Fiscal Year 2008 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2764) contained language, authored by pro-abortion Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), designed to undermine the "Mexico City Policy" by requiring the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide such pro-abortion organizations with certain U.S.-funded contraceptive supplies.  Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Bart Stupak (D-Mi.) offered an amendment, which was strongly supported by NRLC, to remove the pro-abortion language from the bill, but the amendment failed, 205 to 218.  The Smith-Stupak Amendment was supported by 180 Republicans and 25 Democrats; it was opposed by 12 Republicans and 206 Democrats.  The bill was then passed and sent to the Senate.  Roll Call No. 534, June 21, 2007.

Title X (“Title 10") of the Public Health Service Act provides more than $300 million annually for grants to state and private entities for “family planning” programs.  Although federal law does not permit such funds to be used to pay for abortions, large amounts of Title X funds go to organizations that operate abortion clinics, including affiliates of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the nation's largest abortion provider.  On July 19, 2007, during consideration of the Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill for the federal Department of Health and Human Services, pro-life Congressman Mike Pence (R-In.) offered an amendment to prohibit any Title X funds from going to any arm of Planned Parenthood. The amendment did not reduce the amount of money appropriated for Title X overall. The amendment failed, 189 to 231.  The Pence Amendment was supported by 16 Democrats and 173 Republicans; it was opposed by 210 Democrats and 21 Republicans.  Roll Call No. 684.