The accompanying table is a compilation of key roll call votes on pro-life issues in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1995 and 1998 for each incumbent Virginia Congressman running for reelection in November. Following is a summary of the issues with dates of votes shown in parenthesis:

1. Partial-Birth Abortion Ban.
Votes on bills to prohibit performance of a partial-birth abortion, defined as “an abortion in which the person performing the abortion partially vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus and completing the delivery.” The bill contained an exception if the procedure was necessary to save the life of the woman. Bills passed but were vetoed by President Clinton. (Votes on 11/1/95, 3/27/96, 3/20/97, 10/8/97, 7/23/98 & 4/5/2000)

2. Child Custody Protection Act.
Votes on a bill to make it a federal crime to transport a minor across a state line in circumvention of a state law (such as in Virginia) requiring parental or judicial involvement in the minor’s abortion decision. Passed House (7/15/98, 6/30/99).

3. Abortion Funding in DHHS (Hyde Amendment).
Vote on an updated Hyde amendment that not only prohibits funding abortions but also makes clear that states may not use federal funds to pay the costs of placing Medicaid patients in managed care plans (such as HMOs) that include coverage of abortion, with exceptions to save the life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest. Approved (9/11/97).

4. RU-486 Funding.
Votes on amendments to the Agriculture appropriations bill to prohibit the Food and Drug Administration from spending money for the testing or approval of any drug for the chemical inducement of abortion. Passed the House in 1998-99 but lost in 2000. (6/24/98, 6/8/99 & 7/10/2000)

5. Military Abortions.
Several votes were taken on Dept. of Defense authorization and appropriations bills regarding prohibiting military medical facilities from performing abortions. The law is in effect with exceptions for life endangerment, rape and incest. (Votes on 6/15/95, 9/7/95, 5/14/96, 6/19/97, 5/20/98, 6/9/99 & 5/18/2000)

6. Abortion Insurance for Federal Employees.
Votes taken on appropriations which resulted in prohibition of payments for abortion with exceptions for life of the mother, rape and incest. (7/19/95, 7/17/96, 7/16/98, 7/15/99 & 7/20/2000)

7. Abortions in Federal Prisons.
Votes on appropriations to remove the prohibition on funding prison abortions except for life endangerment and rape. Attempts failed (7/26/95, 9/25/97, 8/4/99 & 6/22/2000).

8. Abortion Funding in D.C.
Current law prohibits use of any appropriated funds, including funds raised through local taxes, to pay for abortions except for the life of the mother, rape or incest. Votes on amendments by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) to remove the restriction. Amendments rejected (7/22/96 & 8/6/98).

9. State Option in Medicaid Abortion Funding.
Many states wish to restrict abortion payments only for life endangerment. Since 1993, the Clinton administration and several federal court decisions have ordered states to pay for Medicaid abortions in cases of rape and incest and prohibited them from requiring reporting of sexual assault claims to law enforcement or child abuse agencies. These votes on FY96 and FY97 appropriations were on a provision by Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK) allowing states not to permit Medicaid to finance abortions for rape and incest. Istook amendment preserved in FY96 (8/3/95) but later removed by the Senate; preserved again in FY97 (3/7/96).

10. Foreign Aid for Abortion-Promoting Organizations.
Several votes were taken on an amendments and resolutions to prohibit funding organizations that perform abortions (except for life of the mother, rape or incest) or that lobby to change foreign abortion laws (usually called the Mexico City policy); and to prohibit U.S. funding of the United Nations Population Fund which participates in China’s coercive population-control program and promotes abortion in a variety of ways. (Votes on 5/24/95, 6/28/95, 10/31/95, 11/15/95, 2/13/97, 6/5/97, 6/11/97, 9/4/97, 7/20/99, 7/29/99 & 7/13/2000)

11. Title 10.
Vote on amendment by Reps. Bob Livingston (R-LA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) to eliminate the Title 10 program which funds 4,000 birth-control clinics nationwide that counsel regarding abortion as a “pregnancy management option” and refer to abortion clinics upon request. Affiliates of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s major abortion provider, receive about $33 million/year (although not directly paying for abortions). The amendment would redirect the same funding to other health programs for poor people. Amendment failed (8/2/95).

12. Embryo Research.
Vote on a provision in the FY97 Labor-HHS appropriations bill banning the use of federal funding for early-stage embryo research. Provision preserved (7/11/96).

13. Abortion Training Mandate.
Directives issued by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education would generally require ob-gyn residency programs to provide training in performing abortions. This vote on a provision of the FY96 Dept. of Health & Human Services appropriations bill would prevent state governments or federal agencies from penalizing medical residency programs that do not provide training in abortion. Provision preserved (8/3/95).

14. Welfare reform.
Vote on amendment by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to modify the “family cap mandate” to allow states to use grant funds to provide vouchers (rather than cash) for additional children. (This mandate prohibited any assistance for a child born to a mother already receiving assistance for an earlier child; it was opposed by NRLC and VSHL on the grounds that it encouraged a pregnant mother to resort to abortion.) Amendment passed (3/22/95).

15. Campaign Finance Overhaul.
Vote on an amendment by Rep. Fazio (D-CA) with multiple provisions that, overtly or covertly, would restrict or suppress advertisements, publication of voting records and voter guides, and other forms of speech on public policy issues and federal candidates — but with a loophole to permit the pro-abortion PAC known as EMILY’s List to funnel unlimited cash campaign contribution to favored candidates. If passed, it would have prohibited the type of voting information contained in this issue of the Lifesaver. Rejected (7/25/96).

16. Campaign Finance Overhaul.
Votes on the Shays-Meehan bill that would place sweeping restrictions on the right of citizen groups, such as VSHL and NRLC, to communicate with the public regarding the positions and votes of members of Congress and other federal candidates on pro-life issues, and regarding upcoming votes in Congress. Passed House. (Votes on 8/3/98, 8/6/98 & 9/14/99)

17. Unborn Victims of Violence Act.
Vote on a bill to establish punishments for persons who injure or kill an unborn child while committing any of seventy already-established federal crimes of violence. During debate, a substitute (Lofgren) amendment was defeated that would increase punishment for persons who cause “interruption of a pregnancy” while committing violent crimes; VSHL strongly opposed the amendment since it would codify the fiction that killing an unborn child only represents a compound injury to the mother without recognizing any loss of human life. Passed House. (9/30/99)

18. Pain Relief Promotion Act.
Vote on a bill to promote appropriate pain management and palliative care, fostering critically important positive alternatives to euthanasia, and to ensure that narcotics and other federally controlled dangerous drugs could not be used to kill patients regardless of whether state law has legalized assisted suicide or euthanasia. Prior to passage, the House defeated Scott and Johnson substitute amendments both of which would have had the effect of removing provisions preventing the prescription of federally controlled drugs to assist suicide. Passed House. (10/27/99)

19. Physician Collective Bargaining.
Vote on an amendment by Rep. Tom Coburn (R-OK) to the Quality Health-Care Coalition Act to prohibit health care professionals from using their bargaining power to force health plans to perform or pay for abortions. Passed House. (6/30/2000)