Va. faces decision on ultrasound bill

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A decisive vote on a bill that would require women seeking abortions to have ultrasound exams will have to wait at least another day. The Senate delayed a vote on the House bill Monday.

The bill was amended to delete a provision mandating an invasive procedure using a vaginal probe that emits ultrasound waves. The bill before the Senate requires only an external abdominal ultrasound.

The change didn't placate women's groups, abortion rights activists and others outraged at legislation that provoked protests at Virginia's Capitol and ridicule for Republicans by television comedians, columnists and political talk shows.

In a Senate evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling holds the decisive vote. A Senate version of the bill was killed last week.