Two-For-Two on the D.C. Abortion Ban and a Global Gag Rule Update

Yesterday, we blogged about the House Appropriations Committee rejecting an anti-choice amendment to reinsert the D.C. Abortion ban and now we have even more good news. Yesterday evening, the Senate Appropriations Committee rejected an anti-choice amendment to reinsert the ban in their bill!

A lot of pro-choice allies stepped up and delivered (especially since these votes were really, really close). Special props go to Sen. Durbin and Rep. Jose Serrano of New York for their phenomenal leadership at the committee level. If you're looking to thank your Senator, check and see if she/he is on the list of those that voted the right way:

Sen. Inouye (Hawaii)
Sen. Byrd (West Virginia)
Sen. Leahy (Vermont)
Sen. Harkin (Iowa)
Sen. Mikulski (Maryland)
Sen. Kohl (Wisconsin)
Sen. Murray (Washington)
Sen. Feinstein (California)
Sen. Johnson (South Dakota)
Sen. Reed (Rhode Island)
Sen. Lautenberg (New Jersey)
Sen. Tester (Montana)
Sen. Specter (Pennsylvania)
Sen. Collins (Maine)

In case you were wondering which anti-choice members of Congress offered the anti-choice amendments, it's none other than the usual suspects: Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Reps. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) and Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.). And just know they won't give up once these bills go the floor in the House and Senate, so stay tuned...

Some more good pro-choice news involves the anti-choice Global Gag Rule. Remember when we celebrated, during the first week President Obama was in office, his repeal of the onerous Global Gag Rule, which blocked the world's poorest women's access to basic health care, including birth control?

Well, the same Senate Committee approved a proposal that provides a more permanent fix to the global gag rule. Special thanks certainly go out to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) for leading the way on this front.

Other Senators voting with us include:

Sen. Inouye (Hawaii)
Sen. Byrd (West Virginia)
Sen. Leahy (Vermont)
Sen. Harkin (Iowa)
Sen. Mikulski (Maryland)
Sen. Kohl (Wisconsin)
Sen. Murray (Washington)
Sen. Dorgan (South Dakota)
Sen. Feinstein (California)
Sen. Durbin (Illinois)
Sen. Johnson (South Dakota)
Sen. Reed (Rhode Island)
Sen. Pryor (Arkansas)
Sen. Tester (Montana)
Sen. Specter (Pennsylvania)
Sen. Collins (Maine)

Excellent news to end a busy, choice-filled week. We'll see you back here on Monday... for the start of the Sotomayor hearings!