Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is proudly pro-life, but instead of attending the Senate vote to defund Planned Parenthood Monday, he traveled to Manchester, N.H., for the Voters First Forum. Graham’s vote alone would not have given the Senate bill the 60 votes it needed to pass, but missing the vote to promote his long-shot presidential ambitions bothered at least one pro-life group.
Graham had tweeted on Thursday, July 30, “I will vote to #DefundPlannedParenthood.” Yet he was the only senator not present for the vote.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, tweeted to Graham Monday, “We need you in the Senate tonight voting to #DefundPP not in New Hampshire at a debate! Be there please!”
Hawkins called Graham’s absence from the vote “uncalled for,” because Sens. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio had stayed in Washington, D.C. for the vote and participated in the forum via webcast.
“He should have been there last night to show that he is serious about defunding the nation’s abortion giant and serious about ending the deadlock that plagues Washington,” she wrote in an email to the Washington Examiner.
Though Hawkins believes Graham is pro-life, she sees two implications from his absence. “The fact that Sen. Graham wasn’t present for the vote showed the American people that Senate GOP leaders knew the bill would fail and wouldn’t get the 60 votes it needed,” she wrote. “It also shows that he has put his campaign over his duty as a senator.”
Graham’s voting attendance record has been on the decline for a while. He has missed 55 percent of votes since July 1, although he had perfect attendance in July 2014.
Hawkins’ criticism wasn’t limited to the South Carolina senator. She tweeted at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday, saying, “You should have allowed the #defundPP bill to be an amendment on must pass legislation. You knew we wouldn’t get 60.”
Other pro-life organizations, such as the American Life League and March for Life, had no comment on Graham’s non-vote. “We commend the courageous senators who support this crucial legislation and we call on the entire Congress to continue with their efforts to protect life by putting an end to the use of taxpayer funds to support this organization,” said March for Life President Jeanne Mancini in a statement.
Jim Sedlak, vice president of the American Life League, said that the organization does not have an opinion on Graham’s no-vote but that he believes the Senate as a whole made progress by holding the vote.
“We were excited to see a majority of the Senate vote against Planned Parenthood,” he told the Examiner. “That is the first time that happened.”
Emily Leayman is an intern at the Washington Examiner
