Cecile Richards

The Bush administration has appointed a new chief of family-planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services who helps lead a Christian pregnancy counseling organization that regards the distribution of contraceptives as "demeaning to women." Dr. Eric Keroack, medical director for A Woman's Concern, a nonprofit group based in Dorchester, Mass.

An Illinois city may continue to block the opening of a Planned Parenthood clinic while officials investigate whether the abortion-rights group lied to obtain its building permits, a federal judge ruled Thursday. Planned Parenthood used the name Gemini Office Development in applying for permits to build the $7.5-million clinic in Aurora. As recently as March, the organization used the Gemini name on a permit application and added: "Tenant is not determined . . . unknown at this time."

It was touted as a kinder, gentler State of the Union address, a "date night" in which Republicans and Democrats, such as Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) sat together instead of on opposite sides of the Capitol's House chamber.  An evening when the outbursts of applause seemed a bit less herdlike than they usually do. But it seemed clear throughout that American government remains starkly divided on healthcare. Perhaps feeling there wasn't much left to say, the president didn't talk a whole lot about healthcare reform during his address Tuesday night.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed into law a controversial bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before undergoing an abortion. The bill sparked a national furor among abortion rights activists who argued that the intent was to make it more costly and more difficult for women to receive abortions. The bill signed by McDonnell on Wednesday is a watered-down version of an earlier bill that would have required women to undergo a trans-vaginal ultrasound and would have applied to all abortions, even those that resulted from rape or incest.

As the countdown clock toward a deal to avert a federal shutdown neared zero, and for all the talk of reducing the size of government and scaling back federal spending, Democrats complained Friday that House Republicans were again fixated an age-old sticking point: Abortion. "Republicans want to shut down the government because they want to make it harder for women to obtain the health services they need," Sen. Harry Reid, the majority leader, said Friday on the Senate floor. At issue is a provision, known as Title X, that sends federal dollars to Planned Parenthood for family planning and health services such as cancer screenings.

LAS VEGAS - Following a national trend of new get-tough abortion legislation, Arizona has passed a law that severely restricts the procedure, banning most abortions after 20 weeks - setting the stage for another showdown between social conservatives and women's rights groups. With GOP Gov. Jan Brewer's signature on the Republication-sponsored legislation, Arizona took a stand on an issue that could become fodder during this year's presidential campaign. Proponents say the law protects fetuses, which they say can feel pain after five months of development.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Elizabeth Warren, the consumer crusader and liberal heroine, joined the parade bashing Mitt Romney at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, saying the GOP nominee would undermine the middle class by slashing the social safety net. In fiery rhetoric drafted for delivery in a prime-time address, the Massachusetts Senate hopeful said Romney “wants to give tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires … but he...

Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, a Democrat known for her freewheeling oratory who famously branded the first President George Bush as being "born with a silver foot in his mouth," died Wednesday night after a battle with cancer. She was 73. A family representative said Richards died at home in Austin, Texas, surrounded by her family. She had been undergoing chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed in March with cancer of the esophagus.

Last May, Arturo Garcia and Genaro Sarabia were among three dozen janitors forced to run for their lives during the massive First Interstate Bank Tower blaze. On Friday, the pair were among more than 200 janitors who marched through the streets of downtown Los Angeles in a rush-hour rally for livable wages. "We're all united here and we all want what is fair," asserted Garcia, 43, a 19-year janitor and father of three, who said he earns $6.63 an hour.

Los Angeles janitors began a 24-hour vigil at the Wells Fargo building downtown Wednesday afternoon to protest low wages and poor working conditions as part of a nationwide Justice for Janitors campaign. The janitors have been engaged in a months-long organizing campaign in hope of elevating their wages and gaining health insurance and other benefits.