The following comes from a July 2 story by Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) today agreed to be the lead sponsor of a Senate bill to ban abortion after an unborn child is 20 weeks old. A similar measure passed the House last month and a state version is now being debated in the Texas legislature, where it is likely to be approved.
With Rubio’s presence, the bill is certain to gain enormous media attention and thus more national visibility for the issue of limiting late term abortions. Right-to-life groups have urged Rubio to take the lead on the issue, believing he would be the strongest possible advocate in the Senate. Several sources confirmed he’d agreed.
The bill faces an uphill fight in the Democrat-controlled Senate and a veto threat by President Obama. But win or lose, Republicans and the leaders of the pro-life movement regard the 20-week ban as an especially favorable issue for their cause – and one that might strengthen GOP candidates in the 2014 midterm election.
This is reflected in poll numbers. A Gallup survey in January found that 64 percent of Americans think an abortion in the second three months of pregnancy should be illegal. As for the last three months, 80 percent feel an abortion that late should be banned. A Texas Tribune poll found even more sweeping opposition among Texans to late term abortions.
Rubio’s decision to play a major role in the abortion debate is bound to stir political speculation. He is viewed as a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
But he’s recently prompted serious criticism by Republicans over his support for the immigration reform bill that passed the Senate last week. His front-and-center role on a key anti-abortion measure is likely to ease concerns about him among GOP voters.
The bill cleared House, 228-196. Six Democrats joined 222 Republicans in voting for it. Six Republicans sided with 190 Democrats in voting no.
Rubio is expected to announce his sponsorship of the bill after the July 4 congressional recess….
To read the original story, click here.
Sen. Marco Rino knows this bill will never see the light of day; he’s just trying to throw a bone to the conservative base to make up for his disastrous reversal of stance on illegal immigration.
Give the man some credit and pray for him! Rise Shine Give God Glory…We ask for a bone to be given to us…..so that God will have mercy on us all!
So true. This guy’s just another political hack.
BECOME SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS! We want our freedom….free from sin! Approach Jesus as little children!
Rubio the RINO
“I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of HIS sorrowful passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
Mercy for all who are trying to do good, as good friends in Christ, we need to keep encourage our fellow men to continue on that good road. Use words that will edify and encourage. Call them up when they are doing good…..
If Californians would stop electing evil politicians, moral bills would see the light of day.
CA Bishops, Priests, Laity all have much work to do.
Actually babies start feeling pain at 8 weeks 2 days. On the net go to: “ENDOWMENT for HUMAN DEVELOPMENT”.
This is a non religious, scientific site that can be used in all public schools.
It’s hard to blame the Catholic laity for voting for the Party of Sodomy and Abortion when (reportedly) EWTN News Chief Raymond Arroyo said after the 2008 election that he was told by a bishop that 50% or more of his fellow bishops voted for Obama.
I don’t know whether Arroyo said that, and if he said it I don’t know to what extent it’s true. But if it is true, it’s alarming.
By some accounts, only 0.4% of all abortions occur after the 20th week–maybe even fewer. Unsurprisingly, Rubio’s bill is primarily political grandstanding–a move made to shore up his collapsing political base, but with little to no actual impact.
Since he knows the bill wont pass anyway, why not support something a little more meaningful?
This bill is based upon babies feeling PAIN. Abortion is cruel and unusal punishment of the innocent. Ripping off limbs, and burning with chemicals.
Dave N. you have to stop getting your statistics from Planned Parenthood. There are clinics all over the Country that perform abortions after 20 weeks – with legal immunity.
Write to your US Senators and ask them to support Rubio’s bill. If they do not, throw them out of office at the next election.
Let’s remember that the DEMOCRATIC National Platform supports – the killing of innocents and sodomy (same-sex marriage).
The DEMOCRATIC Party is truly the PARTY of DEATH. (Death of the Body, and Death of the Soul.)
Marco Rubio is obviously trying to “mend fences” with his voters. His immigration bill is a certifiable disaster on several fronts, not the least of which is allowing Janet Napolitano to decide whether the southern border is secure enough to forgo building a fence. He betrayed conservatives and is trying to make up for it. I hope it’s the same level of flop as his amnesty bill will be in the House of Representatives.
Regardless of his motivation, it takes courage to be the lead sponsor of this bill. Either way, Rubio sponsoring, indicates he is willing to step up for Life – win or loose.
Wow, all these “sour grapes” over Rubio, it boggles the mind. ANY child aborted at ANY age, is monstrous. The idea that there are numbers to quibble over, give me a break! I know of no medical condition that requires the killing of a child to save the mother, that a qualified, skilled physician can’t manage. That arguement just feeds the frenzy to kill unborn children. Draw that line in the sand where abortion is completely out of the question. You can’t be pro-life and pro-abortion by being pro-choice. The only choice ought to be that physicians do their job, and do no harm. We don’t have to criminilize the mother for wanting an abortion (that’s “thought police” at it’s worst) but we can make huge fines possible for physicians who will do abortions, or make them carry a lot of malpractice insurance, as well as suspension of their license at the first incident of negligence, or the death of a patient (THAT ought to make them lose that license, period). All of that is sensible. What is wrong with making some sense out of something that makes no sense in the first place?
Yes, life begins at conception.
We can only win the war in SECULAR society little at a time. Everything helps.
Secular society understands pain.
Like a bishop who is holy, a politician who is prolife and anti-gay will not rise above some remote outpost (note to those readers who are challenged by anything other than simple directions on how to open cereal boxes, this is a metaphor, so please look up “metaphor” and spend a few weeks trying to get the hang of it).
I’m trying to get accustomed to poor readers because Jesus says the poor will always be with us, and this includes poor readers. The brilliance of the Bible is that any reader can read it and gain. The ignominy of the CCC is that much of its passages trail off into vague obscurity, and it uses lots of big or technical words. The benefit of this blog site is that people with tenacity can drive through the mists and find a little bit of true sunlight from time to time … because of faith and reason.
Skai, again you are being heretical/schismatic.
The CCC is easy to read – for the average literate person. The footnotes are easy to read. In fact the language in the Bible can be more difficult to interpret for some due to parables.
Many posters on this site have “quoted” the CCC on various subjects, and no one has said they could not understand it.
In addition, you personally are insulting the intelligence of those who read the posts on this site. We are not imbeciles. Stop your insults.
* * * * What is the TRUE reason you continue in trying to discourage people from reading the CCC ? * * * *
Do you want those in error to be able to push their bad ideas as if they are truth?
Or do you only want people to know the Faith through your own eyes – which occasionally is inaccurate, and is usually mean spirited.
You know that your disobedience to our Popes OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS which includes the CCC means that you are a SCHISMATIC.
(If you were merely referring only to yourself, regarding being unable to understand the written words in the CCC, I apologize for my comments. But don’t ever try to encourage others to disobey our Popes regarding the importance of knowing our Faith AND their encouraging us to read the CCC.
Just because you feel the need to condescend to “poor readers” does not give you license to make things up. The number of pro-life anti-gay politicians are overwhelming: Just START with Michelle Bachmann, Marco Rubio, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and most of the southern Governors. And THIS doesn’t even count the pro-life anti-gay legislators and governors who, conveniently, are single middle aged men who have never been seen on a date with a woman.
The games politicians play! If Rubio was a devoted catholic, he would have nixed the 20 months criteria and outlawed abortion all together. Like the state of North Dakota has declared, life begins at conception. It is Almighty God and He alone who creates all life, especially the most complex and intellectual human life (at times) and who solely has the right to decide/allow who, how, and when each of us will die.