WASHINGTON (October 22, 1999) -- Gail Quinn, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement today on passage by the Senate of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. The Senate passsed the abortion ban by a vote of 63-34, October 21.

This is the text of the statement by Ms. Quinn:

"We applaud the Senate's decision to pass a ban on partial-birth abortion. Although the vote (63-34) is not sufficient to override President Clinton's expected veto, it was an encouraging and important vote. Had all 100 Senators been present and voting, the record would have shown a gain of one in the effort to stop partial-birth abortion. The momentum to stop the killing of partially-born children has not abated, and the Senate is now only two votes short of being able to override a veto instead of three votes shy.

"It is also encouraging that 26 years after Roe v. Wade, 47 Senators believe that decision was wrongly decided and that abortion on demand should not be the law of the land. We have every confidence that Senator Harkin's amendment endorsing Roe v. Wade as 'an important constitutional right' will be dropped in a Senate-House conference.

"We are grateful to Senator Rick Santorum and his pro-life colleagues who did everything they possibly could to demonstrate the horror of partial-birth abortion and the need to protect infants nearly born from being brutally killed."

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