WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Senate voted July 25 to penalize those who transport teenage girls across state lines for abortions in order to circumvent parental-consent laws.
The action is the first major abortion legislation the Senate has passed during this congressional session.
Senators voted 65-34 to approve the “Child Custody Protection Act” (S. 403). The House has passed a similar bill repeatedly. But differences between the two measures may prove difficult for lawmakers to reconcile.
Fourteen Democrats joined 51 Republicans in voting for the measure. Four Republicans joined 29 Democrats and one left-leaning independent in voting against it.
If they do, however, President Bush has promised to sign the legislation. If he does so, it would be the second major law restricting abortion rights that he has signed since he became president. The first was a ban on so-called “partial-birth” abortions. It is not being enforced currently due to several challenges in the federal courts.
The latest bill makes it a federal offense for anyone knowingly to transport a minor across state lines for the purposes of getting an abortion if the girl's home state requires parental consent or notification before an abortion. According to the National Right to Life Committee, 26 states currently have such laws.
Although restrictions must include a “judicial bypass” provision that allows minors in special circumstances — for instance, in the case of an incest-induced pregnancy or if a girl fears abuse if her parents find out she's pregnant — to go to a judge to get permission to receive an abortion.
In a statement praising the bill's passage, Bush said that the practice of “transporting minors across state lines to bypass parental consent laws regarding abortion undermines state law and jeopardizes the lives of young women.”
But critics said the law was unnecessary and could end up penalizing those who have the child's best interest at heart.
“I don't think the American people support throwing Grandma in jail because she embraced her granddaughter and said, 'Oh my God, I'm worried that your dad may hurt you if you tell the truth,'” said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
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