Respect Life 
and 
Human Dignity

 

Cloning Vote in April; Still Time to Act

It is still anticipated that the Senate will vote on the human cloning issue in April. As of March 15, 28 Senators are signed on as sponsors of the Brownback/Landrieu Human Cloning Prohibition Act (S. 1899). This list can be found online. Please continue to urge the remaining senators to cosponsor S. 1899 and to support the measure on the Senate floor. A number of these senators remain uncommitted. The vote promises to be close.

In recent weeks, a couple of misleading stories on scientific developments have appeared in the press. For a reliable analysis of these stories, see these websites: www.cloninginformation.org and www.stemcellresearch.org.

The North Dakota Catholic Conference recently arranged the publication of an ad in which a diverse group of 25 state leaders issued "A Call to Senator Kent Conrad, Senator Byron Dorgan, and the People of North Dakota to Support Legislation Prohibiting All Human Cloning." To view this document is also available online.

Meet with Your Senators Over the Easter Recess

The Senate will be in recess the week before and after Easter. This is a time when you can schedule meetings with senators in their home states.

If you are planning to visit Washington, D.C. during the Cherry Blossom Festival (March 23 to April 8), this would be an excellent opportunity to arrange a meeting at a senator's office, either with the senator or with staff.

Comments Solicited on Rule for Coverage of Unborn Child in SCHIP

In a proposed rule published March 5, the Department of Health and Human Services revises the definition of "child" in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to mean "an individual under the age of 19 including the period from conception to birth." Federal Register, Vol. 67, No. 43 (March 5, 2002), 9936-9. For text of the rule, see: nchla.org/download.htm. Under this definition, states may elect to extend eligibility to unborn children for health benefits coverage under the SCHIP program.

In 1997, Congress appropriated $40 billion over 10 years to fund SCHIP. The program is administered by the states to provide health care for children of low-income parents who do not qualify for Medicaid. Several states have already obtained waivers to include prenatal care in their programs. The proposed rule would bypass the need to go through the waiver process state by state.

In support of the rule, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson cited the "medically obvious" truth that "child health care must include the prenatal stage." At issue are "the undeniable health needs throughout the life cycle" ("Letters to the Editor," Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2002, A21). An estimated 10.9 million women of childbearing age (18-44) do not have health insurance.

The proposed rule is open to public comment for 60 days. Action: Send written comments supporting the rule. Highlight the common sense and medical fact that unborn children need good health care. In your comments, refer to file code CMS-2127-P. Do not FAX. Mail written comments (one original and three copies) to the following address only: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-2127-P, P.O. Box 8016, Baltimore, MD 21244-8016. Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 6.

House Passes Born-Alive Infant Protection Act

On March 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act (H.R. 2175) by voice vote. On March 14, the bill was read the second time and placed on the Senate calendar.

In its story on the House's action, the Associated Press insisted on calling the infant born-alive a "fetus."

In 2001, the text of the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act was attached as an amendment to the House-passed Bipartisan Patient Protection Act (H.R. 2563) and to the Senate-passed Patients' Bill of Rights (S. 1052). No further action has been taken on those bills.