News From... Congressman Vito J. Fossella
	13th Congressional District of New York w Staten Island & Brooklyn
	431 Cannon House Office Building w Washington, D.C. 20515 w (202) 225-3371 4434 Amboy Road w Staten Island, NY 10312 w (718) 356-8400 9818 4th Avenue w Brooklyn, NY 11209 w (718) 630-5277

Staten Island, NY -- Congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY13) today cast his vote to end the practice of partial birth abortion, except in cases to save the life of the mother. With bipartisan support, the measure (H.R. 3660) overwhelmingly passed the House 287 to 141.

"The Congress has delivered a strong and unambiguous message: A civilized society does not condone or sanction the brutal murders of innocent and healthy unborn children. It is unconscionable that we must even debate the practice of legalized infanticide. Across party lines, Republicans and Democrats spoke convincingly today that this horrific act must come to an end. Partial-birth abortion is the senseless killing of an innocent child at the very moment it is delivered and sees his or her first light of day. Whether one is pro-life or pro-choice, there appears to be a consensus in America that partial-birth abortion is a gruesome act that has no place in our society."

H.R. 3660 prohibits the use of partial-birth abortions, a procedure that requires the mother to partially deliver the living unborn child until a portion of its body is outside the mother. The living unborn child is then killed and the delivery completed. The bill includes an exception to the ban when a doctor performs this procedure to save the life of the mother.

The measure passed the Senate on October 21, 1999 by a vote of 63-34. President Clinton has threatened to veto the bill.

In the 105th Congress, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (S. 6—H.R. 1122) passed both houses of Congress but could not override President Clinton's. The measure passed the House on March 20, 1997 by a vote of 295-136 and by the Senate on May 20, 1997 by a vote of 64-36. It was vetoed by the President on October 10, 1997. On July 23, 1998, the vote to override the President's veto was successful in the House, but failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate. Clinton also vetoed the measure during the 104th Congress.