In the Nation
Judge rebuffs FDA on Plan B
NEW YORK - A government appeal of a ruling giving women of all ages broad access to morning-after birth control is frivolous, a federal judge said Friday as he refused to suspend enforcement of his decision pending appeal.
U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in Brooklyn did agree to postpone implementation of his month-old decision until Monday to give the government time to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan.
The judge had ruled that the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill could be sold to everyone without a prescription. The Food and Drug Administration last week announced the contraception could be sold without a prescription to those 15 and older. Sales had previously been limited to those who were at least 17. - AP
Panel: Raze Sandy Hook
NEWTOWN, Conn. - A task force of elected officials in Newtown on Friday recommended tearing down Sandy Hook Elementary School, the school where 20 first graders and six educators were killed in December, and rebuilding on the same site.
The group of 28 town elected officials voted unanimously for the plan.
The proposal now goes to the local school board, which has final authority.
The panel had narrowed a list of choices to renovating or rebuilding on the school site or building a school on property down the street. Each would cost between $48 million and $60 million.
The 430 surviving students are attending a renovated school renamed Sandy Hook Elementary in neighboring Monroe. Officials had said that a new or renovated school wouldn't be ready by Aug. 27, the start of the next school year. - AP
Cardinal to skip college ceremony
BOSTON - Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley says he won't attend Boston College's commencement because the Jesuit school's keynote speaker, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, advocates legislation that would allow abortion to save a woman's life. Opponents say the bill would lead to widespread abortions because it would allow the procedure if a woman threatens suicide.
In a statement Friday, O'Malley said the church considers abortion "a crime against humanity" and U.S. bishops have asked Catholic institutions not to honor officials who promote it.
A college spokesman said the school's invitation to Kenny was meant to celebrate the school's relationship with Ireland. - AP