A House committee on Tuesday night defeated a pro-life amendment designed to stop President Barack Obama's plan to fund abortions in the nation's capital with taxpayer dollars. The House Appropriations Committee voted largely along partisan lines to prevent restoration of the funding ban.

When he released his budget request to Congress, Obama called for repealing the Dornan Amendment, which has blocked taxpayer funding of abortions in the District of Columbia for decades.

A House subcommittee pushed forward Obama's pro-abortion agenda and a bipartisan pair of pro-life lawmakers offered an amendment in the full committee last night to restore the tax-funding ban.

With Democrats largely voting no and Republicans supporting the amendment, the panel defeated the move by Reps. Todd Tiahrt, a Kansas Republican, and Lincoln Davis, a Tennessee Democrat, 33-26.

Five Democrats (Reps. Barry of Arkansas, Davis, Kaptur of Ohio, Mollohan of West Virginia, and Murtha of Pennsylvania) joined 21 Republicans on the panel in voting to restore the Dornan Amendment.

However, 32 Decorates on the committee, along with pro-abortion Republican Rep. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, voted to keep Obama's pro-abortion agenda in place.

Three Democrats are coming under criticism from changing their votes to support taxpayer funded abortions in Washington after voting against tax-funding in years past. They include Reps. Boyd of Florida, Ryan of Ohio, and Salazar of Colorado).

When the Financial Services Appropriations bill heads to the House floor, as is expected next week, pro-life advocates may have one more chance to stop abortion funding -- but only if House Democrats allow a vote on the Tiahrt/Davis amendment.

The Rules Committee, which is under the control of pro-abortion Democrats, would need to authorize the bipartisan pair to offer their amendment again on the House floor.

Led by pro-abortion Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York, the Rules Committee has already stopped one pro-life amendment from receiving a debate and vote.

During the committee consideration of the Foreign Affairs spending bill, the Foreign Affairs Committee rejected an amendment Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey offered to prevent the proposed new office from engaging in efforts to alter the laws of foreign nations governing abortion.

To stop the bill from creating a pro-abortion initiative, Smith planned to submit a similar amendment to the Rules Committee to see if House Democrats would allow a debate and vote on it, but they denied him that opportunity.

ACTION: Contact members of the House Rules Committee and urge them to allow the Tiahrt-Davis Amendment to stop taxpayer-funding of abortion in the District of Columbia. Secondly, contact the members of the House Appropriations Committee about their vote to reject the amendment. Find a list of members here.