On Wednesday, May 4, 2011 the U.S. House of Representatives passed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 3) by a vote of 251-175.
251 Members voted for H.R. 3 including 235 Republicans and 16 Democrats. 175 Members voted against H.R. 3 – all 175 Members voting “no” were Democrats. No Republicans voted no. 7 Members did not vote, including Speaker Boehner, who rarely votes. Complete list of members and their votes.
For those unfamiliar with this legislation, it would prohibit federally funded abortions in all fiscal appropriations, including health benefits plans that cover abortion, and it would also strengthen conscience protections for medical workers. It would further eliminate certain tax benefits relating to abortion by, among other things, eliminating the ability to deduct abortion-related medical expenses from taxes, and disallowing the small employer health insurance expense credit for plans that cover abortion.
Whether this timely legislation, sensible from the perspective of increased government responsibility and from the pro-life perspective, has any chance of passing in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate remains to be seen.