Massachusetts Passes Anti-Bullying Bill • Palin Requires Journalists To Donate To Anti-Choice Group

• In response to the death of 15-year-old student Phoebe Prince, the Massachusetts Legislature voted today to pass an anti-bullying law. “This is a day we can be proud we have done something positive,” said Rep. John Scibak.

The law will require all school employees to report instances of bullying to school officials and require principals to investigate them. Scibak says the bill will “demonstrate to this commonwealth and to the nation that bullying will no longer be tolerated.” • A study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health found that women whose mothers suffered from severe morning sickness were three times more likely to report suffering from the same disorder. The study looked at nearly 400,000 mother-daughter pairs from the last four decades. They believe there could be a genetic factor in morning sickness, but have also pointed out that the link may be environmental. • Women have smaller fingers than men. Smaller fingers are more sensitive than larger digits. Therefore, ladies have stronger sense of touch, and are better able to distinguish objects by feel. Things you didn’t know, brought to you by Scientific American. • An inquest into the death of Natalie Morton, 14, has found that she did not die from the HPV vaccine, as some have claimed. Morton’s death was caused by an undiagnosed tumor that had spread to her heart and lungs, and according to pathologist Alexander Kolar, she could have died at any time. • Italian officials are investigating the death of a “premature newborn… [who] survived an abortion at 22 weeks of pregnancy,” according to the Ministry of Health. A hospital chaplain discovered the infant alive on Sunday while he was praying in front of the “dead” body, 20 hours after the procedure was performed. Police have not yet stated whether they believe the incident could be classified as manslaughter. • Many women in India are forced to take up prostitution after their husbands for family members were killed in terrorist attacks, the Times of India reports. Police say they’ve busted many women who were only trying to provide for their families. Arunima Das, a researcher who has examined the impact of insurgency on women and children, says a larger study is needed to determine the number of women who have turned to sex work as a direct result of terrorism. • Want to see Sarah Palin speak? Those of you who have this masochistic desire can buy your way into a fundraiser for the Austin-based anti-choice organization Heroic Media. Journalists who want to cover the event must pay similar dues. Proceeds will go to helping confuse teenagers with incorrect messages about pregnancy and abortion. • Doctors in western Sweden have stopped doing circumcisions because they have better stuff to do. Pediatric surgeon John Westfelt explains: “We have deprioritized (circumcision) to help sick children, such as (by providing) surgery on tight foreskins for medical reasons. And obviously we cannot carry out these operations without sacrificing something else.” • Rest in peace, Evelyn Cunningham. Cunningham was a civil-rights-era journalist who covered issues including the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. She later served as an aide to New York governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. She died on Wednesday at the age of 94. • The Kansas House has failed to override Governor Mark Parkinson’s veto of a bill that would have made late-term abortions more difficult to obtain. The measure would have required abortion providers to give more details about abortions performed after the 21st week of pregnancy and would have allowed patients or family members to sue doctors if they had evidence that an abortion violated state law. • According to new research, household products (like shampoo) can interact with disinfectants added to U.S. water to form a class of cancer-causing substances. Great. •