ABORTION

A group of nurses in New Jersey are asserting their religious right to not assist in abortion with a federal lawsuit, which says that health professionals should be able to decide whether or not to help in an abortion procedure, based on their beliefs.

Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, endorsed Mitt Romney on Wednesday, just three days after Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire gave her endorsement. Thune and Ayotte are both strong conservatives, so their backing may increase Romney's credibility among the voters who are most hesitant to support him.

It's no secret social conservatives are scrambling to find an alternative to Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination, but with the Iowa caucuses just six weeks away, time is rapidly running out. That's why several socially conservative groups in Iowa held a secret meeting this week to strategize, CNN reported on Wednesday.

Nancy Pelosi recently bashed Catholics on a pro-life referendum.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the current beneficiary of Republican voters' perpetual search for an alternative to Mitt Romney, and he's enjoying the amplified media attention that accompanies a rise in the polls. If he declines, is Huntsman next? Or is it time to write-off the former Utah governor?

Ron Paul has surged in two recent polls of Iowa Republicans, challenging the front-runners and making it clear that he will be a contender in January's caucuses.

Rick Perry has become the third Republican presidential candidate, along with Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum, to sign a marriage vow promoted by the Family Leader, a conservative Christian group in Iowa.

Mitt Romney secured two important endorsements in New Hampshire over the weekend, bolstering his presidential campaign in response to a surge by Newt Gingrich. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a conservative Republican, announced her endorsement on Sunday, followed by U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass, a moderate Republican, on Monday.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Aliaa Magda Elmahdy describes the reason she posted the naked photos on her blog and how she is determined to continue fighting for freedom.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that allows firearms owners with concealed weapons permits to carry concealed guns across state lines.

Muslim leaders are worried about the 24-hour prayer rally happening Friday near Detroit.

Herman Cain got high praise from J. Edgar director Clint Eastwood, who told the Los Angeles Times Monday that the presidential hopeful has qualities that set him apart from everyone else who's vying to be commander-in-chief.

Democrats overturned an anti-union law in Ohio, while a Mississippi constitutional amendment related to abortion was defeated.

Fifty-eight percent of Mississippi voters rejected the so-called Personhood Amendment on Tuesday.

Mississippi voters rejected a ballot initiative Tuesday to declare that a human life begins at conception. The measure would have effectively banned abortions in the state and legally challenged abortion rights nationwide as it conflicts with the Supreme Court 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortions.

For the first time, a transsexual woman and an openly gay man were sworn into the Polish parliament on Tuesday, as Anna Grodzka and Robert Biedron took their elected seats in Warsaw.

A recent poll shows Mississippians are divided in their support of Initiative 26, a constitutional amendment that would ban abortion by defining a fertilized human egg as a human being.

In his second run for Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney's campaign team has been witnessing a favorable trend among the female voters in the recent independent polls, which clearly wasn't the case in the 2008 campaign.

On Monday, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour told multiple news outlets that while he is pro-life, he is concerned the state's proposed personhood amendment could have negative impacts on women's health. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Personhood USA implied the measure could go as far as prohibiting birth control pills.

Herman Cain said on Sunday that he opposed abortion under all circumstances, including in cases of rape, incest or to save the mother's life. But that's not what he has said in the past.

State legislatures have proposed 900 bills dealing with reproductive rights this year, 600 of which are anti-choice.