Senate Votes to End Abortion Ban in Military

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted narrowly Wednesday to repeal a new law banning abortions at overseas military hospitals, a major step toward reversing a Republican initiative a year after it was passed by Congress.

In a 51-45 vote, the Senate rejected a procedural move to block a bid by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to repeal the law. The Senate then approved the Murray proposal in a voice vote.

The Senate action conflicts with the position of the House. The differences will have to be worked out in negotiations on the final fiscal 1997 defense spending bill.

“Women in our armed services sacrifice each and every day to serve our country,” Murray said. “They certainly do not deserve to be told they must check their constitutional rights at the door.”

The Senate vote took place in the midst of a continuing debate on the $267-billion defense authorization bill for 1997.

The issue of abortions at overseas military hospitals typically affects no more than a handful of cases per year. But it has become a touchstone for congressional debate on the abortion issue.

The vote marked a rare victory for abortion rights activists under the Republican-controlled 104th Congress. The Senate voted against abortion rights on various measures three times this year.

Abortions have long been banned at U.S. military hospitals, on the assumption that military women or family members could go elsewhere for safe abortion procedures. At overseas military hospitals, Murray and others argued, there are no safe alternatives.

Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) led the effort to uphold the current law and defeat Murray’s repeal proposal. Coats framed the issue in terms of federal funding. Military women seeking abortions, he said, could travel to the United States if needed.

A dozen Republicans voted with Murray to repeal the abortion ban while six Democrats voted to keep the ban in place.

Earlier Wednesday, the Senate voted 53 to 44 to retain increased funding in the bill for accelerated development of a national missile defense system.

Under the bill, the Pentagon would spend $808 million on developing a national missile defense system, $300 million more than President Clinton requested.

Overall, though, the appropriation measure follows the basic Republican script for this year, adding $10.3 billion to Clinton’s defense appropriation request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

A White House statement said the administration “strongly objects” to the substantial increases over Clinton’s request and adds that senior staff would recommend a veto.