JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday struck down a state law requiring parental notification for girls under age 18 seeking abortions, agreeing with pro-abortion rights advocates that the mandate approved by voters in 2010 was unconstitutional.
By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) – Abortion rates have dropped dramatically in the past 25 years to historic lows in wealthy countries, but dipped only slightly in poorer developing nations, according to a global study published on Wednesday. The study – by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Guttmacher Institute – also found that imposing restrictive laws does little to lower abortion rates, but is more likely to force people into having unsafe terminations. The overall findings highlight a lack in poorer countries of access to modern contraception methods – such as the pill, implants and coils – to reduce unwanted pregnancies, the researchers said.
By Jon Herskovitz STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Reuters) – A Texas jury could begin deliberations as early as Tuesday in the trial of a former Marine charged with murdering Chris Kyle, the former U.S. Navy SEAL whose autobiography was turned into the blockbuster movie “American Sniper.” Eddie Ray Routh, 27, is accused of fatally shooting Kyle and Kyle's friend Chad Littlefield multiple times at a gun range about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Fort Worth in February 2013 and then fleeing in Kyle's pickup truck. Defense attorney are trying to have Routh declared innocent by reason of insanity and called a psychiatrist who testified he is a paranoid schizophrenic and showed signs of psychosis that could not be faked. The trial has focused renewed attention on Kyle, who is credited with the most confirmed kills of an U.S. military sniper, and on the movie “American Sniper.” Routh, who served with the Marines in Iraq and Haiti, had been admitted to Veterans Affairs hospitals after his service to treat mental illness.
The issue: