WASHINGTON (AP) — Abortionopponents fought passage ofPresident Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul to the bitter end, andnow that it’s the law, they’re usingit to limit coverage by privateinsurers.

An obscure part of the lawallows states to restrict abortioncoverage by private plans operat-ing in new insurance markets.Capitalizing on that language, abor-tion foes have succeeded in pass-ing bans that, in some cases, gobeyond federal statutes.

“We don’t consider electiveabortion to be health care, so wedon’t think it’s a bad thing forfewer private insurance companiesto cover it,” said Mary Harned,attorney for Americans United forLife, a national organization thatwrote a model law for the states.

Abortion rights supporters aredismayed.

“Implementation of this reformshould be about increasing accessto health care and increasing choic-es, not taking them away,” said Sen.Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member

of the Senate leadership. “Healthcare reform is not an excuse totake rights away from women.”

Since Obama signed the legisla-tion law March 23, Arizona andTennessee have enacted lawsrestricting abortion coverage byhealth plans in new insurancemarkets, called exchanges. About30 million people will get theircoverage through exchanges,which open in 2014 to serve indi-viduals and small businesses.

In Florida, Mississippi andMissouri, lawmakers have passedbans and sent them to their gover-nors. Most of the states allowexceptions in cases of rape, incestor to save the life of the mother.Insurers still could offer separatepolicies to specifically cover abor-tion.

Three other states may act thisyear — Louisiana, Ohio andOklahoma. Overall, there are 29states where lawmakers or publicpolicy groups expressed seriousinterest, Harned said.

Before the overhaul became

law, five states had limits on pri-vate insurance coverage of abor-tion — Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri,North Dakota and Oklahoma.Abortion rights supporters are con-cerned that the list is growing as aresult of the new federal law.

Murray had joined in votingdown a federal abortion coverageban when the Senate debatedhealth care last year. Now she andother abortion rights supportersworry the same sorts of restrictionscould spread from state to state.

Most private health insuranceplans cover abortion as a legalmedical procedure, but researchindicates many women opt to paydirectly.

The federal law allows privateinsurance plans in the exchangesto cover abortion as long as theycollect a separate premium. Thatmoney must remain apart frompublic subsidies available to helppay insurance premiums for mostcustomers in the exchanges.

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www.yankton.net PAGE 9Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan ■ NATION/WORLD ■ Monday, May 17, 2010

NATION/WORLD DIGEST

Thai Government To Continue CrackdownBANGKOK (AP) — Anti-government unrest boiling over in down-

town Bangkok spread to other areas of the capital and ThailandSunday as the military defended its use of force in a crackdown thathas left 30 civilians dead in four days. Thai leaders flatly rejected pro-testers’ demands that the United Nations intercede to end the chaos.

Towering plumes of black smoke hung over city streets where pro-testers set fire to tires, fired homemade rockets and threw gasolinebombs at soldiers who used rubber bullets and live ammunition topick off rioters who approached their lines. Army sharpshooterscrouched behind sandbags carefully taking aim and firing to keepattackers at bay.

Leaders of the protesters, who have dubbed themselves RedShirts, said they wanted talks mediated by the United Nations, provid-ed the government agreed to an immediate cease-fire and pulled itstroops back.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn, however, said apause was unnecessary since troops were “not using weapons tocrack down on civilians.” The government maintains it is targetingonly armed “terrorists” among the demonstrators.

Authorities insisted they would continue the crackdown aimed atchoking off the Red Shirts, who have occupied a 1-square-mile (3-square-kilometer) protest zone — barricaded by tires and bamboospikes — in one of Bangkok’s ritziest areas since early April. The pro-testers are demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resignimmediately, dissolve Parliament and call new elections.

Iraq Recount Affirms Win For Sunni BlocBAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s electoral commission affirmed on Sunday

the narrow victory of a Sunni-backed bloc in the March vote after apartial recount undercut the Shiite prime minister’s claims of fraud inthe tally.

The result was a setback for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whocame in second to former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi by a smallmargin. But his alliance with another Shiite bloc still gives him astrong chance of holding on to power for another four years.

“I hope that all political blocs are satisfied now that the electoralprocess was honest and all allegations of fraud and forgery weretotally incorrect,” electoral commission spokesman Qassim al-Abboudi told reporters after the results of a recount of votes for thecapital Baghdad were announced.

Miss Michigan Takes Miss USA CrownLAS VEGAS (AP) — A 24-year-old brunette from Michigan recov-

ered after nearly stumbling in her evening gown and beat out fourblondes and 46 other women to take the 2010 Miss USA title onSunday.

Rima Fakih of Dearborn, Mich., won the pageant at the PlanetHollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip after swimsuit,evening gown and interview competitions.

When asked how she felt about winning the crown, she said, “Askme after I’ve had a pizza.”

Fakih nearly fell while finishing her walk in a long, strapless gownbecause of the length of its train, but she made it without a spill andwent on to win.

During the interview portion, Fakih was asked whether she thoughtbirth control should be paid for by health insurance, and she said shebelieved it should because it’s costly.

Fakih replaces Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton and won a spot rep-resenting the United States in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant. Shealso gets a one-year lease in a New York apartment with livingexpenses, an undisclosed salary, and various health, professionaland beauty services.

Miss Oklahoma USA Morgan Elizabeth Woolard was named firstrunner-up after handling a question about Arizona’s new immigrationlaw. Woolard said she supports the law, which requires police enforc-ing another law to verify a person’s immigration status if there’s “rea-sonable suspicion” that the person is in the country illegally.

She said she’s against illegal immigration but is also against racialprofiling.

Miss Nebraska USA Belinda Renee Wright won the MissCongeniality award, roughly one week after her father was killed in afarm accident. Miss Alabama USA Audrey Moore won Miss Photogenicafter an online fan vote.

■ Get Updates At Yankton Online (www.yankton.net)

SUPREME COURT

Kagan Unlikely To Face GOP FilibusterBY JESSE J. HOLLANDAssociated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nomineeElena Kagan is unlikely to face a GOP fili-buster but should expect difficult questionsfrom lawmakers who will decide whether shedeserves the lifetime appointment despitehaving no judicial experience, the Senate’ssecond-ranking Republican said Sunday.

“The filibuster should be relegated to theextreme circumstances, and I don’t thinkElena Kagan represents that,” said ArizonaSen. Jon Kyl, a member of the SenateJudiciary Committee.

The committee chairman, Sen. PatrickLeahy, D-Vt., said he hoped to have Kagan onthe bench this summer, succeeding retiringJustice John Paul Stevens well ahead of thenew term that begins in October.

GOP senators are placing great weight onher testimony in determining the fate ofPresident Barack Obama’s second nomineefor the high court. At issue is her lack of ajudicial paper trail.

Kagan is now solicitor general, the topgovernment lawyer who argues the adminis-tration’s cases before the Supreme Court,and was dean of Harvard Law School. But shehas never been a judge.

“She has so little other record, this isgoing to be a big deal,” said Alabama Sen. JeffSessions, the committee’s top Republican.“It’s so important how she testifies.”

Republicans want to know “whether shewill lay her political beliefs aside when she’sdeciding cases and decide those cases strict-ly based upon the facts and the law of thecase,” Kyl said. “That may be a little difficult

in her case because she’s never had to dothat before as a judge, and so it’s more diffi-cult to know whether she is actually able toset her views aside. But that will be the pri-mary issue.”

Kyl also said he wants answers on herthoughts about the “enemy combatant” des-ignation used for terrorism suspects. TheSenate’s Republican leader, Kentucky’s MitchMcConnell, said he wants to know aboutKagan’s thoughts on campaign finance andfree speech.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Kagan’stime at Harvard, as well as a professor andClinton White House adviser, should suffice.“She doesn’t have judicial experience. Butshe has a lot of experience, a lot of practicalexperience. She’s hardly a blank slate,”Schumer said.

Leahy said he would meet this week withSessions to decide when to begin the hear-ings for Kagan. Leahy noted that Chief JusticeJohn Roberts and Justice Sonia Sotomayorboth were nominated in the spring and con-firmed long before October. “If we could fol-low a schedule roughly like that, we’ll bedone this summer,” he said.

Roberts was nominated by PresidentGeorge W. Bush. Sotomayor was Obama’sfirst nominee.

Sessions and other Republicans said theyplanned to question Kagan about Harvard’sbarring military recruiters over the military’s“don’t ask, don’t tell” policy while she waslaw dean.

GOP senators have said the decision —which Sessions said came about because ofKagan’s “deep personal belief” that the banon gays serving openly in the military was

wrong — casts doubt on Kagan’s fitness forthe bench.

“This is no little-bitty matter,” Sessionssaid. “She would not let them come to thearea that does the recruiting on the campus.... This is not acceptable. It was a big error.”

Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrichcalled Kagan “antimilitary” and urged Obamato withdraw the nomination.

That drew a sharp response from Sen.Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who batted theremarks away as “nonsense” and “Gingrichhyperbole.”

“I would hope that no one would fall forthat,” said Feinstein, a member of the SenateJudiciary Committee.

To Leahy, the complaints are “sound andfury signifying nothing.” He said conservativeinterest groups are trying to come up with anissue that could possibly slow down Kagan’sconfirmation.

“I realize you have so many special inter-est groups on the far right or the far left whohave points,” Leahy said. “Ignore those. Weought to make up our own mind. We shouldbe bright enough to do it.”

Sessions said senators should tread care-fully when it comes to questions about anominee’s personal life. “I don’t believe thatis a fundamental judgment call on whether aperson can be a good judge or not,” he said.

What’s important, Sessions said, iswhether they can “restrain their personalpolitical views and follow the law faithfullyand serve under the Constitution? That’s thefundamental test in personal integrity. Sothose are questions that go to the heart ofwhether a person will be an able judge ornot,” he said.

Abortion Foes Now Capitalize On Health Reform