Virginia Senate passes revised ultrasound abortion law

PORTSMOUTH, Virginia (Reuters) - The Virginia state Senate on Tuesday approved a law forcing a woman to have an ultrasound before an abortion but left out a provision harshly criticized by women's rights groups that might have required a more intrusive vaginal probe.

The vaginal probe proposal sparked an outcry last week and embarrassed Virginia's Republican Governor Bob McDonnell, who is high on the list of possible 2012 Republican vice presidential candidates.

In a rare political stumble for the popular governor, McDonnell, a staunch abortion opponent, withdrew his support for the vaginal probe clause minutes before it was to be debated by the Virginia House of Delegates.

The vaginal probe issue had arisen because some doctors said a heartbeat could not be detected in the first trimester of pregnancy using an abdominal ultrasound.

The state Senate approved the weaker ultrasound law by a 21 to 19 vote on Tuesday with an exemption for women whose pregnancy resulting from rape or incest is reported to police. The House, which had already approved the ultrasound law, will now consider the Senate amendments and then could send the proposed law to McDonnell for his signature.

The bill approved by the Senate would offer, rather than require, a woman undergo an additional invasive procedure such as a vaginal probe if the mandatory abdominal ultrasound fails to determine the age of the fetus.

Some female Democratic senators said the ultrasound bill was demeaning to women and that women would seek back alley abortions rather than endure the procedure.

"Women will die," said Senator L. Louise Lucas.

The Virginia measure also requires that the woman seeking an abortion be offered the chance to see the fetal image, and that a copy of the image would be in the woman's medical record at the abortion facility for seven years.

Six other states have passed laws requiring abortion providers to perform ultrasounds, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health issues.

While most of those states allow women to decline to view the image, Texas, Oklahoma and North Carolina require women to hear the provider's verbal description of the ultrasound.

The laws in Oklahoma and North Carolina have been challenged in court but an appeals court cleared the way for Texas to begin enforcing its law in January.

McDonnell's spokesman Jeff Caldwell said in an email to Reuters after the Senate vote that the governor, "looks forward to approving a common-sense ultrasound measure."

(Editing by Greg McCune)

View the original article here

Virginia Senate passes revised ultrasound abortion law

PORTSMOUTH, Virginia (Reuters) - The Virginia state Senate on Tuesday approved a law forcing a woman to have an ultrasound before an abortion but left out a provision harshly criticized by women's rights groups that might have required a more intrusive vaginal probe.

The vaginal probe proposal sparked an outcry last week and embarrassed Virginia's Republican Governor Bob McDonnell, who is high on the list of possible 2012 Republican vice presidential candidates.

In a rare political stumble for the popular governor, McDonnell, a staunch abortion opponent, withdrew his support for the vaginal probe clause minutes before it was to be debated by the Virginia House of Delegates.

The vaginal probe issue had arisen because some doctors said a heartbeat could not be detected in the first trimester of pregnancy using an abdominal ultrasound.

The state Senate approved the weaker ultrasound law by a 21 to 19 vote on Tuesday with an exemption for women whose pregnancy resulting from rape or incest is reported to police. The House, which had already approved the ultrasound law, will now consider the Senate amendments and then could send the proposed law to McDonnell for his signature.

The bill approved by the Senate would offer, rather than require, a woman undergo an additional invasive procedure such as a vaginal probe if the mandatory abdominal ultrasound fails to determine the age of the fetus.

Some female Democratic senators said the ultrasound bill was demeaning to women and that women would seek back alley abortions rather than endure the procedure.

"Women will die," said Senator L. Louise Lucas.

The Virginia measure also requires that the woman seeking an abortion be offered the chance to see the fetal image, and that a copy of the image would be in the woman's medical record at the abortion facility for seven years.

Six other states have passed laws requiring abortion providers to perform ultrasounds, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health issues.

While most of those states allow women to decline to view the image, Texas, Oklahoma and North Carolina require women to hear the provider's verbal description of the ultrasound.

The laws in Oklahoma and North Carolina have been challenged in court but an appeals court cleared the way for Texas to begin enforcing its law in January.

McDonnell's spokesman Jeff Caldwell said in an email to Reuters after the Senate vote that the governor, "looks forward to approving a common-sense ultrasound measure."

(Editing by Greg McCune)

View the original article here

House passes Keystone bill, Senate action uncertain

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives passed an energy bill on Thursday that would wrest control of a permit for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline away from President Barack Obama, who has put the project on hold.

The bill, part of a broader House Republican effort to fund highways and infrastructure projects, would also expand offshore oil drilling and open up parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

While approval of the Keystone measure by the House was widely expected, what happens with a similar proposal in the Democratic-controlled Senate is not yet clear.

Senate leaders were still negotiating on Thursday whether to allow a vote on Keystone as part of debate on a highway funding legislation, said Senator John Hoeven, a Republican from North Dakota who has been a key advocate for the $7 billion Canada-to-Texas project.

"I think on the merits we're going to get it done. I don't know when. I hope in the highway bill, but if not, we'll stick with it," Hoeven told Reuters.

Hoeven developed legislation that would see Congress grant TransCanada a permit for the project, and filed the bill as an amendment to the highway funding package.

PUMP PRICES SURGE

Republicans have seized upon the Canadian oil pipeline as a way to criticize Obama for his job creation and energy policies in the 2012 election race.

After massive protests from environmental groups, Obama last month said the pipeline needed more environmental review for the portion running through Nebraska, where the state government had rejected an initial proposed route.

Republicans said the project would create thousands of jobs. Environmental groups, who want to kill the project because they argue Canada's oil sands produce too much pollution, also say the numbers are inflated.

Republicans have seized on surging gasoline prices as another way to make their case for Keystone.

In the long term, increasing oil supply from North America would help improve energy security and moderate volatility in gasoline prices, Hoeven said.

"I think we need to approve the Keystone XL project because that brings oil to us from our closest friend and ally rather than the Middle East," Hoeven said.

The pipeline will also carry oil from Hoeven's home state of North Dakota, where production has surged but infrastructure has failed to keep pace.

STEEP CLIMB

Even if the Keystone legislation makes it to the Senate floor for a vote, getting it passed will be difficult. There are currently 47 Republicans in the U.S. Senate, and they would need to find at least 13 Democrats to agree to move it forward.

The Senate and House would also need to agree on a highway bill, which could be difficult given major differences in size and scope between their proposed packages. And the bill would still need to have Obama's approval to become law.

Obama has already threatened to veto the House package, due in part to the Keystone provision.

(Editing by Todd Eastham)

View the original article here

Lin passes Knicks to romp over Kings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jeremy Lin showed off another dimension on his magical NBA ride in leading the Knicks to a 100-85 rout of the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday for New York's seventh win in a row.

Lin, who has risen from obscurity to a dynamic force at point guard over the last 10 days, scored just 10 points after posting at least 20 in each of the first six games of the winning streak but the playmaker's passing stole the show.

The Taiwanese-American doled out 13 assists, including half a dozen alley-oop passes that led to thunderous dunks and easy layups to the delight of a roaring Madison Square Garden crowd.

"As a point guard, my field goal attempts have been really high," Lin said of his previous high-scoring performances. "I don't think that's necessarily good.

"I think it's more of my job to distribute and get people in rhythm, especially when Melo (Carmelo Anthony) comes back, another lethal scorer. My shots will go down and my assists will go up."

Lin's distribution promoted a balanced attack that saw Landry Fields lead on 15 points, with Bill Walker and Steve Novak adding 14 points apiece as the Knicks reached the .500 mark with a 15-15 record.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni was thrilled with Lin's performance and the way the team were playing together.

"If the situation calls for him to score, he'll score. If they double (team) him, the ball goes someplace else," D'Antoni told reporters.

"I'm really happy with 13 assists. The next night he might have 30 (points). Whatever we need."

'HOT TEAM'

New York's defensive effort, led by center Tyson Chandler, also won praise from the coach.

"We held them to 17, 19 and 19 (points) the first three quarters," he said. "Our guys are stepping up."

With former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson among the celebrities in the packed Garden crowd, New York delivered an early knockout by finishing the second quarter with a 12-2 run for an 18-point lead at intermission.

Midway through the third quarter, Lin bounced a perfect pass to Jared Jeffries for an easy layup to top his previous high of 11 assists. He played sparingly in the fourth quarter as the Knicks carried in a 22-point lead.

Enamored with their newest hardcourt icon, fans brandished Lin's face on paddles and waved them to distract Sacramento free throw shooters, who had their fill of the Knicks' darting, dishing point guard.

"We ran into a hot team," said Kings coach Keith Smart. "A hot team that's playing well and playing as a cohesive unit."

The Kings, who were led by Tyreke Evans with 19 points, dropped to 10-19 with the loss.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

View the original article here