Washington D.C., Sep 21, 2010 / 13:06 pm
The U.S. Senate blocked a controversial military bill on Tuesday afternoon which would have repealed the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy and allowed elective abortions to be carried out on military bases at home and abroad.
In May of this year, the Senate Armed Services Committee and the full U.S. House approved measures to repeal the 1993 policy allowing homosexuals to serve only if they do not reveal their sexual orientation as part of the overarching Defense Authorization Bill of 2011.
However, on Sept. 21, a Republican-led filibuster blocked a vote on repealing the measure, with Democrats failing to garner the 60 votes needed to bring the defense bill up for consideration. According to the Chicago Tribune, the vote was 56-43 in favor of starting debate on the legislation.
Critics of the repeal praised the move on Tuesday, with Family Research Council (FRC) president Tony Perkins calling it “a victory for the men and women who serve our nation in uniform.”