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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The state House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill to require all hospitals to offer rape victims emergency contraception, over objections from Catholic leaders who say it infringes on their religious rights.
The legislation, which passed the Democratic-controlled Senate last week, now moves to Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell. The governor said she was inclined to support it but would not decide until she saw the bill.
The 113-36 vote in the Democratic-controlled House came after a three-hour debate and over protests from Catholic hospitals and church leaders in the state who say the measure forces them to violate their beliefs. The Catholic Church teaches that life begins at conception.
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