House Republicans Plan Floor Votes On Fetal Pain, Human Cloning Measures

House Republicans this summer plan to bring to a vote a series of bills they are calling the "American Values Agenda," which include a bill (HR 356) that would require some women seeking abortion to be told the procedure can cause fetal pain and a bill (HR 1357) that would ban human cloning, the AP/ABC News reports (Espo, AP/ABC News, 6/27). The fetal pain bill would require abortion providers to tell women seeking the procedure at 20 weeks' gestation or later that there is "substantial evidence" that fetuses can feel "substantial pain" during abortion procedures (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/24/05). Both of the bills are expected to be debated on the House floor "in the coming weeks and months," according to the office of House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) (CongressDaily, 6/28). "Through this agenda, we will work to protect the faith of our people, the sanctity of life and freedoms outlined by our founding fathers," House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said (Hastert release, 6/27).

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