The following summarizes recent developments on abortion-related legislation in four states. ~ Idaho: The state House this week is expected to debate a bill (S 1353) that would create new protections for nurses, pharmacists and other medical workers who refuse to provide services related to abortion, emergency contraception, end-of-life care and stem cell therapy because of moral objections, the AP/Idaho Statesman reports. Current Idaho law grants physicians so-called “conscience” protections in abortion-related cases…

EMILY’s List, which backs female political candidates who support abortion rights, “is in the midst of a generational changing of the guard,” which “shows from the top level of leadership to its Internet presence,” Politico reports. Stephanie Schriock — a 36-year-old who has worked with the campaigns of Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) — recently replaced EMILY’s List founder Ellen Malcolm as the group’s president. In a recent interview with Politico, Schriock said she recognizes that the group faces some challenges in the current political climate…

“Perhaps members of the antiabortion movement are growing a bit desperate,” which could explain “why ‘racism’ has become the battle cry of the antiabortion groups whose members — overwhelmingly white, conservative and Republican — like to think that racism no longer exists,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Cynthia Tucker writes…

The following summarizes selected women’s health-related videos.  Maddow Tracks Reform Developments: MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Thursday discussed Rep. Bart Stupak’s (D-Mich.) continued opposition to the Senate health reform bill’s abortion language, despite support for the bill from Catholic nuns and some antiabortion-right lawmakers…

Democrats’ health reform legislation gained momentum Wednesday, as some Catholic leaders, various antiabortion-rights House members and liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) pledged their support to the Senate reform bill (HR 3590), the Los Angeles Times reports. Kucinich is the first staunch liberal opponent of the House’s reform bill (HR 3962) to publicly announce support for the Senate’s bill (Hook/Levey, Los Angeles Times, 3/18). Thursday morning, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md…

The New York Times and Washington Post on Thursday published opinion pieces commenting on various issues involving abortion and health reform. ~ Nicholas Kristof, New York Times: “[F]or all the disagreements about President Obama’s health care proposal, let’s focus on this: it unquestionably would increase access, while its defeat would diminish access,” columnist Kristof writes. Abortion-rights opponents should be “particularly passionate about supporting Mr…

A Nebraska bill (LB 1103) that would ban abortion after 20 weeks’ gestation in nearly all cases has advanced from the Judiciary Committee to the full Legislature for debate, the AP/Beatrice Daily Sun reports. The bill, introduced by Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood, would prohibit abortion past 20 weeks unless needed to save the woman’s life or avert substantial, irreversible physical harm. The proposal is based on the assertion that fetuses feel pain after 20 weeks (Jenkins/Ross, AP/Beatrice Daily Sun, 3/17)…

The American Prospect, Boston Globe and Washington Post recently published opinion pieces and an editorial discussing how health reform legislation would affect health insurance coverage for abortion, prenatal care and other services that affect women. ~ Michelle Goldberg, American Prospect: “It’s become clear that if health care reform passes, it’s going to significantly erode, and probably end, insurance coverage for abortion,” American Prospect senior correspondent Michelle Goldberg writes in an opinion piece…

The following summarizes recent action on abortion-related measures in three states. ~ Alaska: Superior Court Judge Frank Pfiffner on Tuesday ordered Alaska Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell to rewrite ballot language for a proposed initiative that would require parental notification before a minor can receive an abortion, although Pfiffner stopped short of removing the initiative from the ballot, the AP/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports (Bohrer, AP/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 3/17)…

The Washington Post explores the use of riders on health insurance policies to cover abortion, a proposal that has sparked controversy in the national health overhaul debate. “In North Dakota, where insurers can cover abortions if customers pay a separate premium, the state’s largest provider says it sells no abortion policies because no one has asked to buy one,” The Post reports…