abortion rights news stories on Newser

Mississippi May Close Only Abortion Clinic

Matt Cantor — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:36:05 CDT

Mississippi has just one abortion clinic, and a bill that's passed the state legislature would likely close it. All it needs now is a governor's signature, and Phil Bryant has said he'll provide it. Under the bill, doctors performing abortions in an "abortion facility" would have to have local hospital...

Oklahoma Abortion Law Struck Down

Rob Quinn — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 01:39:00 CDT

An Oklahoma judge has struck down a state law requiring women seeking abortions to have ultrasounds. The district judge decided the law—which required doctors to put an image of the ultrasound in front of the woman and give her a detailed description of the fetus—was unconstitutional because it...

Bill Would Make Tennessee Name Abortion Doctors

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:10:22 CDT

A bill under consideration in Tennessee would reveal the names of doctors who perform abortions, and could even inadvertently identify women who undergo the procedure, activists worry. Abortion providers currently have to record information about each patient, which the state's Department of Health collects. The Life Defense Act of 2012...

Virginia Senate Puts Fetus 'Personhood' Bill on Ice

Matt Cantor — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:47:59 CST

Virginia's state Senate made a surprise about-face yesterday: In a 24-14 vote, lawmakers effectively placed the so-called "personhood" bill, which declared that a person's rights begin from the moment sperm meets egg, on ice for the rest of 2012. Earlier that day, the Senate Education and Health Committee had narrowly...

Virginia Backpedals as Abortion Debate Blows Up

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:45:43 CST

Besieged by protests , national outcry among feminists, and even an SNL sketch , Virginia is quickly rethinking its pre-abortion ultrasound bill, with the House of Delegates yesterday again delaying a vote, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch . Gov. Bob McDonnell, who had initially promised to sign the measure if it reached his desk,...

'Radical' Girl Scouts Back Gays, Abortion: Indiana Rep.

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:00:00 CST

A Republican member of the Indiana House is refusing to honor the the Girl Scouts on its 100th birthday because the "radicalized" organization backs gays and abortions. Rep. Bob Morris ripped the Girl Scouts, which he considers the "tactical arm" of Planned Parenthood, for allowing transgendered children to join, and...

Virginia House Delays Abortion Bill After Protest

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:19:23 CST

The Virginia House of Delegates delayed a hotly contested anti-abortion bill today after hundreds of women protested silently outside, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. The bill—which was about to pass—would mandate an ultrasound for every woman planning an abortion and give her the choice of viewing the fetus. But...

Oklahoma Senate Passes 'Personhood' Act

Kevin Spak — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:26:08 CST

The Oklahoma Senate has passed a controversial bill that declares that life begins at the moment of conception, in a landslide 34-8 vote. The Personhood Act passed yesterday after two hours of debate. It's unclear what effect the bill will have, however; its author says it's just a statement and...

Former Komen VP Blasts 'Bully' Planned Parenthood

Kevin Spak — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:02:28 CST

Former Susan G. Komen VP Karen Handel says the foundation had a "gentle ladies' agreement" with Planned Parenthood that neither would alert the press when Komen cut off funding , and that Planned Parenthood broke it. "What happened is nothing short of a disgrace," she tells the Daily Beast . "Planned Parenthood...