Appeals court in Va. reviewing NC abortion law
National News
North Carolina's solicitor general on Wednesday urged a federal appeals court to revive a state law that would require abortion providers to show and describe an ultrasound of the fetus to the pregnant woman, even if the patient refuses to look or listen.
John Maddrey told a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the provision adds "relevant, truthful, real-time information" to North Carolina's informed consent law. The state is appealing U.S. District Judge Catharine Eagles' ruling in January that the mandate violates abortion providers' free-speech rights.
North Carolina's solicitor general on Wednesday urged a federal appeals court to revive a state law that would require abortion providers to show and describe an ultrasound of the fetus to the pregnant woman, even if the patient refuses to look or listen.
John Maddrey told a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the provision adds "relevant, truthful, real-time information" to North Carolina's informed consent law. The state is appealing U.S. District Judge Catharine Eagles' ruling in January that the mandate violates abortion providers' free-speech rights.
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Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban
Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”
The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.
Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.
Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.