Presidential Vetoes: Bill Clinton's Partial-Birth Abortion Bill Veto
The phrase "partial-birth abortion" was first attributed to Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee. It is used to define an abortion performed after the fetal head is outside the body of the mother or any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother. On November 5, 2003, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act was signed by President George W. Bush to become law. Less than a decade earlier however, a similar bill was vetoed by President Bill Clinton. The Partial-Birth Abortion bill that Clinton vetoed would have made it illegal for women to have a specific later-term abortion procedure done even in the case where the mother’s life would be in danger and the process done with the advice of a doctor.
On March 27, 1996, the House of Representatives voted to ban partial-birth and some other late-term abortions. The bill was supported in the senate by Kansas Republican Senator Bob Dole, who would oppose Clinton in the 1996 Presidential election. The move was viewed by many political observers including CNN as designed to force Clinton to confront the issue, setting up divisions between his southern conservative supporters and liberal Democrats. When the bill passed, Clinton did not immediately state whether he intended to veto the legislation, but earlier, in a letter to congressional leaders, Clinton had requested changes to permit exemptions "to preserve the life of the woman or avert serious health consequences to the woman." Clinton told Congress that he had "studied and prayed" on the issue, and that, absent those changes, he believed that the bill would be unconstitutional.
When the bill reached the Senate, Dole sponsored an amendment to provide an exemption only in cases where the procedure would be required to save the life of the mother. In a letter that Dole wrote to Clinton, he said "A broader exception would simply defeat the purpose of the bill, which is to stop this grisly procedure."
The final vote on the bill was 286-129, which was considered to be a veto-proof majority. Support came from 214 Republicans and 72 Democrats. Voting against were 113 Democrats, 15 Republicans and one independent.
On April 10, 1996, Clinton vetoed the bill. The veto immediately drew criticism and protest from religious leaders and anti-abortion groups. In his veto statement Clinton said the procedure was a "potentially life-saving, certainly health-saving measure for a small but extremely vulnerable group of women and families in this country, just a few hundred a year." He added: "This is not about the pro-choice, pro-life debate. This is not a bill that should have ever been injected into that."
Clinton vetoed the legislation in a private ceremony in the Oval Office where he met with women who have had the procedure. A White House press release said that the women who attended the ceremony had the abortions on the advice of their doctors, because their own health was in danger. Clinton argued that the bill would have outlawed the procedure even in that situation, which was his main reason for vetoing the bill.
Although there were enough votes in the house to override Clinton's veto, sufficient support was lacking in the Senate.
As anticipated, Clinton's veto drew the ire of a number of Christian groups. Ralph Reed of the Christian Coalition said: "It will be very hard, if not impossible, for Bill Clinton to look Roman Catholic and evangelical voters in the eye and ask for their support in November." The anti-abortion group Concerned Women for America called Clinton "an extremist." A statement the group released to the media said: "Unlike most Americans, Clinton supports abortion-on-demand for all nine months of pregnancy. This act has isolated him from mainstream America and proves just how far left his policies are."
Contrary to predictions from the right, in the 1996 presidential election a few months later, Clinton was re-elected. He receiving 49.2% of the popular vote, compared with 40.7% for Republican Bob Dole and 8.4% for Reform candidate Ross Perot. Clinton became the first Democrat to win reelection to the presidency since Franklin Roosevelt. The Republicans lost a few seats in the House and gained a few in the Senate, but overall retained control of the Congress.
In 2003 a Partial-Birth Abortion was passed and signed into law by President George W. Bush. In the House, the final legislation was supported by 218 Republicans and 63 Democrats. It was opposed by 4 Republicans, 137 Democrats, and 1 independent. Twelve members were absent, 7 Republicans and 5 Democrats. In the Senate the bill was supported by 47 Republicans and 17 Democrats. It was opposed by 3 Republicans, 30 Democrats, and 1 independent. Two Senators were absent.
On March 27, 1996, the House of Representatives voted to ban partial-birth and some other late-term abortions. The bill was supported in the senate by Kansas Republican Senator Bob Dole, who would oppose Clinton in the 1996 Presidential election. The move was viewed by many political observers including CNN as designed to force Clinton to confront the issue, setting up divisions between his southern conservative supporters and liberal Democrats. When the bill passed, Clinton did not immediately state whether he intended to veto the legislation, but earlier, in a letter to congressional leaders, Clinton had requested changes to permit exemptions "to preserve the life of the woman or avert serious health consequences to the woman." Clinton told Congress that he had "studied and prayed" on the issue, and that, absent those changes, he believed that the bill would be unconstitutional.
When the bill reached the Senate, Dole sponsored an amendment to provide an exemption only in cases where the procedure would be required to save the life of the mother. In a letter that Dole wrote to Clinton, he said "A broader exception would simply defeat the purpose of the bill, which is to stop this grisly procedure."
The final vote on the bill was 286-129, which was considered to be a veto-proof majority. Support came from 214 Republicans and 72 Democrats. Voting against were 113 Democrats, 15 Republicans and one independent.
On April 10, 1996, Clinton vetoed the bill. The veto immediately drew criticism and protest from religious leaders and anti-abortion groups. In his veto statement Clinton said the procedure was a "potentially life-saving, certainly health-saving measure for a small but extremely vulnerable group of women and families in this country, just a few hundred a year." He added: "This is not about the pro-choice, pro-life debate. This is not a bill that should have ever been injected into that."
Clinton vetoed the legislation in a private ceremony in the Oval Office where he met with women who have had the procedure. A White House press release said that the women who attended the ceremony had the abortions on the advice of their doctors, because their own health was in danger. Clinton argued that the bill would have outlawed the procedure even in that situation, which was his main reason for vetoing the bill.
Although there were enough votes in the house to override Clinton's veto, sufficient support was lacking in the Senate.
As anticipated, Clinton's veto drew the ire of a number of Christian groups. Ralph Reed of the Christian Coalition said: "It will be very hard, if not impossible, for Bill Clinton to look Roman Catholic and evangelical voters in the eye and ask for their support in November." The anti-abortion group Concerned Women for America called Clinton "an extremist." A statement the group released to the media said: "Unlike most Americans, Clinton supports abortion-on-demand for all nine months of pregnancy. This act has isolated him from mainstream America and proves just how far left his policies are."
Contrary to predictions from the right, in the 1996 presidential election a few months later, Clinton was re-elected. He receiving 49.2% of the popular vote, compared with 40.7% for Republican Bob Dole and 8.4% for Reform candidate Ross Perot. Clinton became the first Democrat to win reelection to the presidency since Franklin Roosevelt. The Republicans lost a few seats in the House and gained a few in the Senate, but overall retained control of the Congress.
In 2003 a Partial-Birth Abortion was passed and signed into law by President George W. Bush. In the House, the final legislation was supported by 218 Republicans and 63 Democrats. It was opposed by 4 Republicans, 137 Democrats, and 1 independent. Twelve members were absent, 7 Republicans and 5 Democrats. In the Senate the bill was supported by 47 Republicans and 17 Democrats. It was opposed by 3 Republicans, 30 Democrats, and 1 independent. Two Senators were absent.