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Arizona bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks heads to governor Apr 11th 2012, 00:18 By Reuters Arizona state lawmakers gave final legislative approval on Tuesday to a bill that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, handing Republicans their latest win in ongoing national efforts to impose greater restrictions on abortion. The measure, passed in the state House of Representatives by a 37-22 vote, would bar healthcare professionals from performing abortions after 20 weeks, except in the case of a medical emergency. The bill now goes to the state's Republican governor for approval. Follow @msnbc_us If the bill is enacted, the state would join six others that have put similar late-term abortion bans in place in the past two years based on hotly debated medical research suggesting that a fetus feels pain starting at 20 weeks of gestation. Georgia lawmakers approved a similar bill in March that now awaits the signature of Republican Gov. Nathan Deal. "The chief purpose of government is to protect life and liberty, and this bill does just that," said Cathi Herrod, the president of the conservative Center for Arizona Policy, adding that the bill aimed to "protect the life of a woman considering an abortion as well as the life of her pre-born child." Matthew Benson, a spokesman for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, said she had a "strong and consistent pro-life record," but she has not yet publicly announced her position on the bill. While barring most late-term abortions, the Arizona law would allow them in situations where continuing a pregnancy risks death or would "create serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function." This would be determined by a physician's "good faith clinical judgment." Bryan Howard, the president of Planned Parenthood Arizona, said the bill and several others sent to the governor continued an "unprecedented attack" on women and their healthcare in recent years. Howard said the ban "completely prevents couples from making their own decisions about how to deal with the heartbreaking situation when a pregnancy is determined to involve serious health complications." He said the law could also drive badly needed medical professionals from the state. Only a small number of abortions are performed in Arizona after 20 weeks. The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortions nationwide in 1973 but allowed states to ban the procedure after the time when the fetus could survive outside the womb, unless the pregnancy risked the woman's health In addition to banning most late-term abortions, the bill would also require women to have an ultrasound at least 24 hours prior to an abortion, instead of the one hour that is currently mandated under state law. Additionally, state officials would be required to create a website that details such items as the risks of the procedure and shows pictures of the fetus in various stages. Representative Katie Hobbs, a Phoenix Democrat, called the measure another example of how conservative Tea Party lawmakers are "too extreme and too focused on their rigid ideology." "This bill ignores the health risks that some women face during pregnancy and pushes an extremist agenda," said Hobbs, moments after the vote. "There are serious medical implications associated with this legislation. I urge the governor to veto this bill." More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: Zimmerman's attorneys withdraw from Trayvon Martin case 3 school workers are winners of Mega Millions jackpot in Md. Seventh-graders save out-of-control bus Breastfeeding now a civil right in Seattle US sets record for warmest March Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions. Online, fans and foes applaud Rick Santorum's withdrawal from presidential race Apr 10th 2012, 23:35 Crimson Hexagon Inc. About 20 percent of initial online reaction expressed a clear opinion about Rick Santorum's decision to suspend his campaign, with most of it approving. Click for larger image By M. Alex Johnson, msnbc.com Early reaction among supporters and opponents alike approved of Rick Santorum's withdrawal from the Republican presidential race Tuesday, according to msnbc.com's computer-assisted analysis of online reaction. M. Alex Johnson is a reporter for msnbc.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania whose strong showing among conservatives in primaries and caucuses surprised many observers, suspended his campaign Tuesday amid concerns for the health of his daughter Bella, who was hospitalized for complications from the chromosomal disorder Trisomy 18. Santorum suspends presidential campaign Reaction was swift on social media and political forums. Most of the online discussion simply passed along the news or tried to dispassionately assess the effect on the campaign, according to msnbc.com's analysis of more than 14,500 posts on Twitter, Facebook and forums Tuesday afternoon and evening. Among those commenters, the consensus was that Santorum's decision cleared the way for the nomination of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, as summarized by James Kust, a sportswriter in Eau Claire, Wis.: Twitter.com But about 20 percent did express clear opinions about Santorum's decision, with those welcoming the news outpacing those expressing disappointment by a 9-to-1 ratio through early Tuesday evening. While many people applauded Santorum for putting his family first, others rejoiced that he was leaving the race. Follow @msnbc_us (The analysis uses a tool called ForSight, a natural-language data platform developed by Crimson Hexagon Inc., which is used by many media and research organizations, including the Pew Research Center and ESPN, to gauge public opinion in new media.) For supporters of Santorum, who ran a strongly conservative campaign opposing same-sex marriage and abortion, the announcement reinforced what attracted them to him in the first place. One of those was Kelly Clinger of Atlanta, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion-rights group Silent No More Awareness Campaign: Twitter.com Others who may not have supported Santorum still sent him good wishes for his daughter, like Eric Johnson, a student at Kennesaw State University in Georgia: Twitter.com But as you would expect for a candidate whose clear-cut positions drew sharp divisions among voters, much of the reaction was political, and most of that was anti-Santorum, including this tweet from Davis Allen, a student at Arizona State University: Twitter.com On the political discussion group PeoplesPoliticsIII, a frequent commenter using the name Noserose criticized Santorum for his public expressions of faith: peoplespoliticsiii.yuku.com A similar sentiment came from Waymon Hudson, a freelance writer from Chicago, who said on Facebook: Facebook.com And for some, Santorum's withdrawal makes the campaign "much less amusing now," as Wes Platt, an online game writer and designer from Durham, N.C., tweeted. That reaction was summarized by Elliott Lerner, a student at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., who moonlights occasionally as a standup comic: Twitter.com More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: Zimmerman's attorneys withdraw from Trayvon Martin case 3 school workers are winners of Mega Millions jackpot in Md. Seventh-graders save out-of-control bus Breastfeeding now a civil right in Seattle US sets record for warmest March Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook Media files: 120410_Santorum_Buzz.photoblog400.jpg (image/jpeg) imagesizer?file=alex-johnson6321D3BE-C678-8147-FC64-09606BD4761E.jpg&width=400 (image/jpeg) imagesizer?file=alex-johnsonBFB62515-747F-8651-6273-E5C4216DC140.jpg&width=400 (image/jpeg) imagesizer?file=alex-johnsonC9CD7ACD-584D-FE87-30E0-923724C01975.jpg&width=400 (image/jpeg) imagesizer?file=alex-johnsonA420FD00-FC5F-61BA-BF11-1EC7CB5E6E77.jpg&width=400 (image/jpeg) imagesizer?file=alex-johnson0DE4D5EA-FE2B-B191-723F-949A770CBEF4.jpg&width=400 (image/jpeg) imagesizer?file=alex-johnson58EBDA27-E241-ED7A-41E6-04DAE8F739B9.jpg&width=400 (image/jpeg) imagesizer?file=alex-johnsonE4C186A1-941F-50C0-4BE2-B4FC60FAED4D.jpg&width=400 (image/jpeg) 5 found duct-taped: Boston University students under investigation for possible hazing Apr 10th 2012, 23:12 By Sevil Omer, msnbc.com Boston police are investigating a possible hazing incident involving five Boston University students who were found stripped down to their underwear, duct-taped and covered head-to-toe in honey, hot sauce and other condiments. “All five were shivering and had horrified and fearful looks on their faces,” Boston officers wrote in a report, according to the Boston Globe. Boston police said they responded to a newly renovated home in Allston just after midnight on Monday after neighbors complained of hearing loud music. Follow @msnbc_us "Mainly the loud music, but I also heard stuff like, 'Yes sir,' and 'No sir,' as if they were in the military and someone was giving them orders," said Marc Vuong, a neighbor and Boston University freshman, NBC News affiliate WHDH-TV in Boston reported on Monday. According to a Boston police report, officers discovered five students who “were all tied together via duct tape wrist-to-wrist to form a human chain,” according to WHDH-TV. Police said they also noticed the men had “red welts and markings all over their backs,” WHDH-TV reported. Police said they also found about a dozen other college students scattered around the two-story home; some had been hiding, while others were pretending to be sleeping, WHDH-TV reported. A Boston University spokesperson told WHDH-TV on Tuesday that the people behind the alleged hazing were Boston University students. The house also belonged to a national fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, but was not recognized by Boston University. Boston University withdrew its recognition of the fraternity nearly 20 years ago, according to school officials. A spokesman for the Boston Police Department told the Boston Globe charges against nine Boston University students were likely. They also could be expelled from the school, the Globe reported. Kenneth Elmore, Boston University’s dean of students, told WHDH-TV that two of the men involved in Monday’s alleged hazing already faced expulsion for their role in a sorority hazing incident last month. "It's very troubling that they would have another incident, same organization, some members the same some different, but that they would be involved in this," Elmore told WHDH-TV. The alleged hazing incident at Sigma Delta Tau, a sorority at Boston University, involved underage drinking off the school’s campus. More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: 3 school workers are winners of Mega Millions jackpot in Md. Prosecutor: No grand jury for Trayvon Martin case Seventh-graders save out-of-control bus Breastfeeding now a civil right in Seattle US sets record for warmest March Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

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