NEWS FLASH

Virginia Senate Committee Passes Amended Ultrasound Bill | The Virginia Senate Education and Health Committee has passed an amended version of the GOP-sponsored ultrasound bill that will require women who are considering abortion to undergo an ultrasound 24 hours before having the procedure. The bill was revised on the House floor Wednesday at the request of Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), who withdrew his support of the original measure amid public uproar and national media attention. The amended bill requires only an external, trans-abdominal ultrasound, as opposed to the original language that would have mandated pregnant women undergo invasive transvaginal ultrasound imaging without their consent. The vote was 8-7 along party lines, with eight Republicans voting to send the bill to the full Senate. The amended bill passed in the Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday by a vote of 65-32, though it is expected to die once it returns to the Senate as the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jill Holtzman-Vogel (R), has said she will strike it. — Fatima Najiy