From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have advanced a range of ideas: banning nearly all abortions beyond the 20th week after conception; making abortion clinics follow regulations for surgical care; mandating that clinic physicians have admitting privileges at local hospitals; requiring women to get ultrasounds before terminating a pregnancy.

The issue, which is figuring prominently in early 2016 White House race maneuvering, energizes social conservatives who influence many Republican primaries and drive GOP success in nonpresidential years when the electorate is older, whiter and more conservative. And some Republicans say more moderate voters will support their agenda in the wake of the murder conviction against Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion doctor who jurors determined killed babies who'd survived the procedure.

But Democrats and abortion-rights advocates say Republicans already have overreached the noticeable uptick in restrictions began with GOP gains in 2010 elections, before Gosnell's prosecution began and that moderate voters have other priorities.

"Defense workers are being furloughed, student loan interest rates have doubled and these Republicans insist on a relentless pursuit of more restrictions on women's freedoms," said Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democrats' national congressional campaign for 2014. "Swing voters are by their very nature moderate; they want solutions, not ideological warfare."

The House of Representatives adopted a 20-week ban in June. It has no chance of passing the Democratic-run Senate. A top anti-abortion lobbyist, National Right to Life Committee president Carol Tobias, told The Associated Press that her organization is working on a bill with the office of Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who is a high-profile possibility for the 2016 presidential race.

North Carolina's newfound legislative supermajority wants to regulate clinics more heavily, though the Republican governor has pushed back after promising as a candidate not to sign any new restrictions. Texas Gov. Rick Perry called his GOP legislature back into session to consider a 20-week ban and sweeping regulatory changes after a Democratic filibuster derailed the measure and drew national attention last month. The legislature passed the bill Friday and it's headed to Perry's desk.

Rick Santorum, a failed 2012 presidential candidate who's considering another run, has traveled to Texas to lobby for the bill. Perry, meanwhile, is among several anti-abortion governors mulling a presidential bid. Scott Walker in Wisconsin recently signed a bill requiring ultrasounds before abortions, though a federal judge blocked the law. Louisiana's Bobby Jindal has signed several more restrictive bills, including two these year.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, which works on reproductive health issues including abortion-rights, states this year have enacted at least 43 new laws that restrict or further regulate abortion. That comes after more than 120 new laws, several held up by federal courts, the previous two years.

Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said, "There's a political price for Republicans trying to roll back the clock," and some of the legislative debates have already drawn comparisons to Republican losses in 2012, when controversial or scientifically inaccurate statements from Senate candidates Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock grew into a national liability.

Israel predicated abortion would be an issue again in the 2013-14 elections that will determine who controls Congress and dozens of statehouses during the final two years of Democratic President Barack Obama's term. He mentioned 12 Republicans who represent districts that Obama won last year and four more where Republican Mitt Romney won by less than 2 percentage points. Hogue said it could matter in the North Carolina Senate race, as well, particularly if state House Speaker Tom Tillis ends up as the GOP challenger to Sen. Kay Hagan. The first-term senator took to her Twitter account recently to blast Raleigh Republicans. "Women are watching," she wrote.

Democrats need 18 more seats to run the House. Republicans must net a six-seat gain to control the Senate.

At the National Republican Congressional Committee, spokeswoman Andrea Bozek suggested the best GOP strategy would be to shift the conversation to Obama's health care law, key parts of which the president has delayed. "Let's be clear: It's the House Democrats who are extreme on women's health care," she said. "That law is something women are extremely concerned about, and that's the politically toxic issue for Democrats."

Polls on abortion have long suggested nuanced divisions in public opinion. In a May Gallup poll, 26 percent of Americans said the procedure always should be legal; 20 percent said outlaw it in all cases. Fifty-two percent, meanwhile, said it should legal under some circumstances, implying acceptance of legal restrictions. Yet fewer 42 percent feel it's morally defensible to end a pregnancy, while 49 percent said it's morally wrong.

A Pew Research Center poll in January, 41 percent said Democrats better represent their views on abortion; 36 percent opted for Republicans on the issue.

"The country is not willing yet to ban all abortions, but they do want a lot more limitations," argued Tobias, the National Right to Life chief. She said tighter clinic regulations and the "fetal-pain bills," the mid-pregnancy bans based on the presumption that a fetus can feel pain at that point, are "very reasonable ... protections for the unborn child and their mothers."

The Supreme Court holds that states can ban most abortions at the point a fetus could survive once born. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has opposed fetal-pain proposals. The group notes that medical professionals date pregnancy from a woman's last menstrual period, not conception or fertilization. The Congress says viability occurs about 24 weeks from the start of a pregnancy and that the most comprehensive study of fetal pain "concluded that fetal perception of pain is unlikely before the third trimester," which begins with week 28.

Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead predicted Gosnell trial and conviction will prove a turning point. "The other side just talks about the rights of a woman to do what she wants with her body, but they never about the child within that body," Armistead said. "The middle ground will yield to the conservative side the more hard evidence we see that we're dealing with a life inside the woman's body."

Yet voters' ambiguity leaves at least a few Republicans wincing at making abortion a top issue. "Everyone already knows the Republican Party is the pro-life party," said New Hampshire's Steve Duprey, an RNC member who supports abortion rights.

The national party's analysis of the 2012 election loss, released in March with considerable fanfare, didn't mention abortion. But it acknowledged characterizations of the GOP as "narrow minded," ''out of touch" and a party of "stuffy old men" labels used in focus groups of former Republican voters. Abortion, Duprey said, fits into that critique: "The more strident we sound, the more difficult it becomes" to expand.

But Tobias promised the issue won't go away any time soon. If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid does what's expected and doesn't bring an abortion bill to the floor, she said, "We'll just ask the House to vote on it again in 2014."

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AP Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta in Washington and Associated Press writer Gary Robertson in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this report.

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Follow Barrow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP

LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) - Bruce Springsteen jumped off the stage and into a frenzied German crowd of 45,000 fans on Sunday in Leipzig to pluck a sign with a hand-written request scrawled on it - as he has been doing all summer on his popular tour across Europe.

But when Springsteen whirled around and held up the name of the song for his band to see, jaws dropped and a frightened look crossed their faces. The sign read "You never can tell" by Chuck Berry, a 1964 tune made popular in the 1994 film "Pulp Fiction."

"Every night we try to pull one out that we haven't played since we were, I dunno, 16," Springsteen said, savoring the challenge of figuring out how to play an unfamiliar song from another artist on the spot in front of a stadium audience.

"Let's see how we do," Springsteen said. He began humming the tune as encouragement to the worried-looking band members who seemed flummoxed by the melody and unsure of the key.

"Try it boys," he said, growing impatient after a few minutes of tentative strumming, tooting and drumming. "Let's hear it now!"

Springsteen and the E Street band then nailed "You never can tell" and the crowd loved them for it just as an even larger crowd did last Saturday at the Stade de France in Paris when he took a request in the crowd for "Lucille".

"Someone's trying to stump the E Street band," Springsteen laughed before the band aced the Little Richard number in Paris.

Leipzig was as enthralled by the boundless energy of Springsteen on Sunday as were similarly large and enthusiastic crowds in Moenchengladbach, Germany on Friday, in Geneva on Wednesday and in London last Sunday.

The 63-year-old American rock icon has been filling stadiums and venues around the world for nearly 16 months on a 130-stop "Wrecking Ball" tour.

It's been a tour full of audience requests that has tested the musical skills of Springsteen and his E Street band but at the same time given audiences something new every night to cheer about at shows from Spain to Sweden and Scotland to Switzerland.

Even many of the hardcore fans who trek around Europe to see his concerts have also been impressed by his ever-changing gigs. The set list is never the same as he draws titles from his 17 studio albums in five decades but also from other artists.

"We're playing it loose tonight," he said in Moenchengladbach, a small town west of Cologne. "This is what we used to do in the nightclubs. 'Hey, 10 euros for a song'."

Many are Springsteen hits but many are from other artists that he and his band might not have heard or played in years - or even decades. His forays into the crowd for obscure titles cause his band visible concern but make each concert unique.

In Hanover in May, Springsteen grabbed a sign in which a fan offered a body organ to hear "Drift Away". Springsteen told the fan he didn't really know the song but wanted him to go home in one piece so he'd give it a go.

Even after 50 years performing, Springsteen still packs stadiums. Ordinary life comes to a halt in many towns. Leipzig has a population of 500,000; there were 45,000 at the concert. Moenchengladbach has 250,000 and 35,000 were at the stadium.

His six-leg, 130-stop "Wrecking Ball" began on March 18, 2012 in Atlanta and is nearing its end. It will conclude after 10 more stops in Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, England and then in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on September 21.

Most crowds are on their feet after about 30 minutes into the three hour shows. But not always.

"I'm up here with the sweat running down my back."

"I realize I haven't done my job yet," he added. "I see so many fine Leipzig-ians still sitting in their seats."

(Reporting By Erik Kirschbaum; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Zimmerman, 29, blinked and smiled slightly when the verdict was announced. He could have been convicted of second-degree murder or manslaughter. But the jury of six women, all but one of them white, reached a verdict of not guilty after deliberating more than 15 hours over the course of two days.

Martin's mother and father were not in the courtroom when the verdict was read; supporters of his family who had gathered outside yelled "No! No!" upon learning of the not-guilty verdict.

The teen's father, Tracy, reacted on Twitter: "Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered I WILL ALWAYS LOVE MY BABY TRAY."

Trayvon Martin's brother, Jahvaris Fulton, said simply: "Et tu America?" a reference to the Latin phrase "Et tu, Brute?" known as an expression of betrayal.

The jurors considered nearly three weeks of often wildly conflicting testimony over who was the aggressor on the rainy night the 17-year-old was shot while walking through the gated townhouse community where he was staying and where Zimmerman lived. None of the witnesses who were called had a clear view of their encounter.

Defense attorneys said the case was classic self-defense, claiming Martin knocked Zimmerman down and was slamming the older man's head against the concrete sidewalk when Zimmerman fired his gun.

"We're ecstatic with the results," defense attorney Mark O'Mara after the verdict. "George Zimmerman was never guilty of anything except protecting himself in self-defense."

Another member of his defense team, Don West, said he was "thrilled this jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty."

Prosecutors called Zimmerman a liar and portrayed him was a "wannabe cop" vigilante who had grown frustrated by break-ins in his neighborhood committed primarily by young black men. Zimmerman assumed Martin was up to no good and took the law into his own hands, prosecutors said.

State Attorney Angela Corey said after the verdict that she believed second-degree murder was the appropriate charge because Zimmerman's mindset "fit the bill of second-degree murder."

"We charged what we believed we could prove," Corey said.

The jurors' names have not been made public, and they declined to speak to the news media.

As the verdict drew near, police and city leaders in the Orlando suburb of Sanford and other parts of Florida said they were taking precautions against the possibility of mass protests or unrest in the event of an acquittal.

Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump acknowledged the disappointment of Trayvon Martin's supporters, ranking the teen alongside civil rights heroes Medgar Evers and Emmett Till in the history of the fight for equal justice.

But he urged them not to resort to violence.

"For Trayvon to rest in peace, we must all be peaceful," he said.

O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, said his client is aware he has to be cautious and protective of his safety.

"There still is a fringe element that wants revenge," O'Mara said. "They won't listen to a verdict of not guilty."

The verdict came a year and a half after civil rights protesters angrily demanded Zimmerman be prosecuted. That anger appeared to return Saturday night outside the courthouse, at least for some who had been following the case.

Rosie Barron, 50, and Andrew Perkins, 55, both black residents of Sanford, stood in the parking lot of the courthouse and wept.

"I at least thought he was going to get something, something," Barron said.

Added her brother: "How the hell did they find him not guilty?"

Perkins was so upset he was shaking. "He killed somebody and got away with murder," Perkins shouted, looking in the direction of the courthouse. "He ain't getting no probation or nothing."

Issuing a statement from New York, civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton called the not-guilty verdict "a slap in the face to the American people but it is only the first round in the pursuit of justice."

"We intend to ask the Department of Justice to move forward as they did in the Rodney King case and we will closely monitor the civil case against Mr. Zimmerman," Sharpton said, adding that he will travel to Florida in the next few days.

Several Zimmerman supporters also were outside the courthouse, including a brother and sister quietly rejoicing that Zimmerman was acquitted. Both thought the jury made the right decision in finding Zimmerman not guilty they felt that Zimmerman killed Martin in self-defense.

Cindy Lenzen, 50, of Casslebury, and her brother, 52-year-old Chris Bay, stood watching the protesters chant slogans such as, "the whole system's guilty."

Lenzen and Bay who are white called the entire case "a tragedy," especially for Zimmerman.

"It's a tragedy that he's going to suffer for the rest of his life," Bay said. "No one wins either way. This is going to be a recurring nightmare in his mind every night."

Meanwhile, authorities in Martin's hometown of Miami said the streets were quiet, with no indication of problems. The neighborhood where Martin's father lives in Miami Gardens was equally quiet.

Zimmerman wasn't arrested for 44 days after the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting as police in Sanford insisted that Florida's Stand Your Ground law on self-defense prohibited them from bringing charges. Florida gives people wide latitude to use deadly force if they fear death or bodily harm.

Martin's parents, along with civil rights leaders such as Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, argued that Zimmerman who identifies himself as Hispanic had racially profiled their son. And they accused investigators of dragging their feet because Martin was a black teenager.

Before a special prosecutor assigned to the case ordered Zimmerman's arrest, thousands of protesters gathered in Sanford, Miami, New York and elsewhere, many wearing hoodies like the one Martin had on the night he died. They also carried Skittles and a can of iced tea, items Martin had in his pocket. President Barack Obama weighed in, saying that if he had a son, "he'd look like Trayvon."

Despite the racially charged nature of the case, race was barely mentioned at the trial.

"This case has never been about race or the right to bear arms," Corey said. "We believe this case all along was about boundaries, and George Zimmerman exceeded those boundaries."

One of the few mentions of race came from witness Rachel Jeantel, the Miami teen who was talking to Martin by phone moments before he was shot. She testified that he described being followed by a "creepy-ass cracker" as he walked through the neighborhood.

Jeantel gave some of the trial's most riveting testimony. She said she overheard Martin demand, "What are you following me for?" and then yell, "Get off! Get off!" before his cellphone went dead.

The jurors had to sort out clashing testimony from 56 witnesses in all, including police, neighbors, friends and family members.

For example, witnesses who got fleeting glimpses of the fight in the darkness gave differing accounts of who was on top. And Martin's parents and Zimmerman's parents both claimed that the person heard screaming for help in the background of a neighbor's 911 call was their son. Numerous other relatives and friends weighed in, too, as the recording was played over and over in court. Zimmerman had cuts and scrapes on his face and the back of his head, but prosecutors suggested the injuries were not serious.

To secure a second-degree murder conviction, prosecutors had to convince the jury that Zimmerman acted with a "depraved" state of mind that is, with ill will, hatred or spite. Prosecutors said he demonstrated that when he muttered, "F------ punks. These a-------. They always get away" during a call to police as he watched Martin walk through his neighborhood.

To win a manslaughter conviction, prosecutors had to convince the jury only that Zimmerman killed without lawful justification.

____

Eds: Associated Press writers Tamara Lush in Sanford; and Kelli Kennedy, Suzette Laboy and David Fischer in Miami, contributed to this report.

In brief remarks at a naturalization ceremony at his presidential library in Dallas, Bush avoided wading into the merits of specific legislation pending in Congress, but said it was important for lawmakers to recognize the benefits of immigration to the nation's future. While he didn't directly endorse a Senate-approved plan his comments suggested the need for Republicans to deal with immigration reform in a broad way.

"I don't intend to get involved in the politics or the specifics of policy, but I do hope there's a positive resolution to the debate," he said. "And I hope, during the debate, we keep a benevolent spirit in mind, and we understand the contributions immigrants make to our country."

The former president spoke as House Republicans consider how they should respond to comprehensive immigration reform approved last month by the Senate. Some Republicans have said the party needs to help fashion immigration reform following President Barack Obama's sweeping victory in the 2012 elections among Latino voters. But many House Republicans remain unconvinced that endorsing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million unauthorized immigrants would be the right approach.

Bush helped make inroads with the growing population of Hispanic voters during his presidency but Republicans have since lost ground and some worry it could irreparably harm their ability to win future elections.

The former president has largely avoided the political spotlight since leaving the White House in January 2009 but has advocated for immigration reform in the past. During his second term, he pushed for similar legislation that would have given immigrants living in the United States unlawfully a pathway to citizenship.

In his comments, Bush noted the importance of upholding current immigration laws. "We're also a nation of laws. And we must enforce our laws. America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time," he said.

"We can uphold our tradition of assimilating immigrants, and honoring our heritage of our nation built on the rule of law. But we have a problem. The laws governing the immigration system aren't working; the system is broken," Bush said.

It was unclear if Bush's public encouragement would help spur House Republicans into action or potentially undermine reform efforts. While his public approval ratings have improved, the 43rd president was deeply unpopular when he left the White House and many conservatives rebelled against his push for immigration reform.

Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., who served as a campaign and White House aide to Bush, said most House members agree with the points that Bush made "but now we have to get into the details of legislating and that's a different deal."

"I applaud him for not backing the Senate bill but look, we in the House represent our constituents who are very vocal on this issue, and I don't think it has any bearing one way or the other," Griffin said.

The latest attempt to address immigration reform cleared the Democratic-controlled Senate last month. It would spend $46 billion on border security, create new legal avenues for workers to come to the country, require employers to verify their workers' legal status and offer eventual citizenship for those here illegally.

But the vote in the House is likely to be much more difficult. Many conservative Republicans represent districts with few Hispanic voters and may be less-inclined to act on immigration. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has said he will not bring the Senate bill to the House floor and has said no legislation will move without the support of a majority of his Republicans.

Boehner has said border security must come first and many Republicans in the House support a piecemeal, step-by-step approach, rather than a single big bill like the one the Senate passed.

Panel discussions on immigration were being held at the George W. Bush Presidential Center following the naturalization ceremony for 20 people from 12 countries. One of the panels centered on how immigrants help drive the Texas economy.

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Thomas reported from Washington.

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Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Follow Jamie Stengle on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JamieStengleAP

Suddenly, that seems like a long time ago.

Dustin Pedroia hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the eighth inning, and the Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 4-2 on Friday night in a matchup between the AL's top teams.

Brock Holt also drove in two runs and also with two outs in the second inning before the A's rallied. Eleven of Boston's last 13 runs have come with two outs.

"There's no secret," said Pedroia, who also made a run-saving stop at second base to start a double play in the sixth. "We've just been able to find ways to get that one pitch and make sure we don't miss it."

John Lackey (7-6) overcame a season-high four walks in seven innings to carry the AL-leading Red Sox to their fourth straight victory. He allowed two runs and three hits while striking out five. He also hit a batter.

Lackey improved to 19-6 against the A's, even though this was far from his best performance.

"This is probably one that says more about where I'm at than anything," he said. "I probably didn't have my best stuff like I had my last few times out and still was able to do pretty good against a pretty good team."

The A's left six on base, while the Red Sox stranded five.

John Jaso hit an RBI single in the fifth and Jed Lowrie added a tying home run in the sixth for Oakland, which remained a game ahead of Texas in the AL West. Sean Doolittle (3-3) allowed one hit and hit a batter before Ryan Cook gave up Pedroia's two-out single.

Andrew Bailey, a two-time All-Star closer for the A's from 2009-2011, tossed a scoreless eighth. Koji Uehara pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save this season.

Jarrod Parker regrouped after a sloppy second inning to retire his final 16 batters and put the A's in position to come back. He gave up two runs and three hits in seven innings, striking out three and walking none.

"I was moving the ball in and out and being able to get some early contact. That helped me go later into the game after a long inning like that," Parker said.

The only runs off Parker came in an inning that featured two errors and a hit batter that also took out plate umpire CB Bucknor and caused a brief delay.

Third baseman Josh Donaldson's errant throw to first allowed Mike Napoli to advance to second. Then Parker's pitch clocked at 92 mph grazed Daniel Nava and hit the right side of Bucknor's mask.

Bucknor went down on one knee and winced in pain. Second base umpire and crew chief Bill Miller replaced Bucknor behind the plate and the game resumed with three umpires.

Holt's two-out single gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. He advanced to third on the play when catcher Jaso threw the ball into right-center field trying to nab him at second, but Parker never allowed another baserunner.

The A's offense finally got going when Seth Smith doubled off the wall in left leading off the fifth for the first hit against Lackey. After Coco Crisp walked, Jaso's single sliced Boston's lead to 2-1.

Crisp advanced to third when right fielder Shane Victorino bobbled Jaso's hit. But Pedroia made a spectacular diving stop at second on Donaldson's grounder to start an inning-ending double play.

"Thank God it landed in my glove, because if it didn't, it probably would have put a hole in my chest," Pedroia said of the hard-hit hopper.

Lowrie sent a 1-0 cutter from Lackey over the wall in right for the tying shot in the sixth. It was Lowrie's seventh home run this season.

Victorino was hit on the base of his right thumb by Doolittle to put runners on first and third in the seventh. After Victorino stole second uncontested, Pedroia singled to left against Cook to put Boston back in front.

"Just another very go overall win on our part," Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

NOTES: The Red Sox acquired reliever Matt Thornton and cash from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league outfielder Brandon Jacob. ... Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz (neck strain) threw about 30 pitches in a bullpen session Friday. The rehab assignment he had been scheduled to make Sunday will now just be another bullpen session. Farrell said Bucholz will throw a simulated game at some point and make just one rehab start instead of the two originally planned. ... Brandon Workman, who allowed three earned runs in two innings in his major league debut in Wednesday's 11-4 win at Seattle, will make his first start in Sunday's series finale at Oakland, Farrell said. ... INF Adam Rosales, who the A's designated for assignment Monday, cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento. ... Lefty John Lester (8-5, 4.60 ERA) starts for the Red Sox against Oakland's A.J. Griffin (7-6, 3.94 ERA) on Saturday.

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Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

LONDON (Reuters) - The Church of England's law-making body voted on Monday in favor of ordaining women bishops, but it will be at least two years before the measure, opposed by a minority of traditionalists, can be passed.

The vote was a boost for Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who became head of the 80 million-member Anglican church in January, a few weeks after a blocking minority defeated the last attempt to allow women bishops in the English church, after 10 years of divisive debate.

After several hours of talks in York at the Anglican body's national assembly, the General Synod, members voted overwhelmingly to pursue reforms to allow women bishops as a "matter of urgency".

A committee will draft legislation that will be reviewed later this year but it is not likely to be given final approval before November 2015.

" affirms an inclusive approach that is consistent with our previous resolution: the commitment to ordaining women bishops on exactly the same basis as men, and the flourishing together of all parts of the Church," said Welby, 57, who is seeking to modernize the image of the church.

Dozens of Synod members spoke to urge the Church to move forward from the "train crash" of November's shock result at the assembly - when a decision to ordain women bishops failed by six votes - and to return to a "path of reconciliation".

"This better-than-expected result has drawn a line under last year's disaster and lays the foundation for new legislation to permit women to be bishops," said Robert Key, chair of the House of Laity, one of the Synod's three chambers.

"It is only the start of a two-year process, but the Church of England is on the march again under new management."

GNAWING ANXIETY

The route to final approval might still be rocky despite apparent strong support.

"This time the Synod used a straightforward vote that just needed a simple majority. If it had been voted in this way in November it would have got through too," said Paul Handley, editor of the Church Times newspaper.

In November, the measure received 73 percent of the overall vote, but fell short of the required two-thirds approval in one chamber. The Synod could demand the same system of voting be used again.

Conservatives demonstrated significant opposition. "There will be a sense of gnawing anxiety on our part if we go down the route as it stands," said Rod Thomas, chairman of the evangelical group Reform.

The Church approved the ordination of women priests in 1992, but delayed making them bishops because of opposition within its previously all-male clergy. Bishops play a key role in many Christian churches where only they can ordain new clergy.

Women already serve as Anglican bishops in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, but Anglican churches in many developing countries oppose any female clergy and are working together to shield themselves against such reforms.

Rebecca Swinson, a reformer and member of church think-tank the Archbishop's Council, said the next generation would wonder what all the fuss was about.

"My big hope is that my children will know a different normality to me and that they will not hear the words 'women bishops' ever again," she told the Synod.

(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Luckily for the scientists, this icy grave kept the bone's proteins and DNA remarkably well-preserved. So well-preserved that the researchers were able to sequence its entire trove of genetic information, which has already begun shedding light onand how they are related to zebras, donkeys, and the the last surviving type of wild horse.

When researchers first found the leg bone, there were doubtful they'd be able to record its genome, the full collection of genetic information from an individual, said Ludovic Orlando, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Copenhagen. That's because the oldest previously sequenced genome was about 10 times younger than the horse's. But the scientists pressed on, and tweaked a new method for analyzing genetic information. Eventually, they were able to record the entire genome of the , which roamed grasslands found in what is today the Yukon, when temperatures were about the same as they are today or slightly warmer (but the types of plants found were different). []

Unraveling genetic mysteries

The study, published today (June 26) in the journal Nature, dramatically extends the amount of time DNA is known to survive, said Beth Shapiro, a researcher and study co-author at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The fossil bone they found "is a real treasure," Shapiro told LiveScience.

The results show that donkeys,and horses all evolved from a common ancestor about 4 million to 4.5 million years ago, Orlando said twice as old as previously thought. That means that horses and their ancestors are evolving more slowly than expected it's more of an evolutionary trot than a canter.

Horses are a model for understanding the , so this result could help tease out how, for example, animals went from having four "toes" to having one hoof, as is the case with horses, Orlando told LiveScience.

The scientists came to these conclusions after comparing the ancient genome with that from another horse that lived 43,000 years ago, as well as the genomes of five domestic horse breeds and the Przewalski's horse.

The Przewalski's horse

The study also suggests that the Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) is the last surviving type of wild horse, and in a separate subspecies from all other modern horses (which are in the subspecies Equus ferus caballus). Also known as the Asian wild horses, this animal was declared extinct in the wild in the 1960s but through captive breeding programs was reintroduced through Mongolia and central Asia, Orlando said. Surprisingly, research has shown that the animal maintains a healthy level of genetic diversity, suggesting that conservation efforts are worthwhile, and that the species has a decent chance of survival.

Aside from the Przewalski's horse, the vast diversity of modern horses are members of the same species, but have been differently shaped by human hands. (Many "wild horses," for example, those found in North America, are really just feral horses descended from domesticated horses.)

This study will help unravel how that process has unfolded on a genetic level, said Carles Lalueza-Fox, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona who wasn't involved in the study.

"Contrary to other domesticates, where it is rather obvious which traits where primarily selected (more meat, more wool, more milk production, and in all cases, docility), theis rather enigmatic," Fox said in an email. "The genetic findings, obtained by screening selected regions in modern horses as compared to the ancient ones, may indicate the path to domestication in horses, with genes apparently associated to fertility, pigmentation and muscle efficiency."

Researchers are chomping at the bit to further understand how domestication has shaped horses, and what their genetic history can tell us about how climate change has affected their evolution, for example, Shapiro said.

Emailor follow him onor. Follow us , or . Article originally on LiveScience.com.

The Belize players rejected the offer to "sell the game" and immediately told coach Ian Mork what had happened. Mork said Thursday he called a representative of CONCACAF, the federation of North and Central America and the Caribbean nations and organizer of the Gold Cup.

The official showed the players a photo of a man already being monitored for trying to fix matches in other countries, and Mork says they confirmed it was the same man who'd offered them money.

Belize lost to the Americans 6-1 on Tuesday night in the Jaguars' first Gold Cup appearance.

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas lawmaker who was a single mother at the age of 19 and is now a rising star of the state Democratic party was attempting to block a Republican drive for sweeping new abortion restrictions on Wednesday by speaking continuously for 12 hours.

The filibuster by state Senator Wendy Davis, 50, could derail a proposal including a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. She must talk until midnight (0500 GMT), when a 30-day special session expires.

But Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry, a strong opponent of abortion, could revive the proposal by calling another special session of the legislature.

If the filibuster fails and the Senate approves the proposal, Texas is virtually assured of becoming the 13th state in the nation and by far the most populous, to impose a ban on abortion after 20 weeks.

The proposal also calls for stricter standards for abortion clinics, which opponents said would force nearly all the state's abortion clinics to close or be completely rebuilt.

Davis said the abortion restrictions would be the latest in a "war on women" in Texas, using a criticism leveled at Republicans nationally in the 2012 election.

During the filibuster on Tuesday, she read a stream of messages of support she said had come from women around Texas.

Davis has used the filibuster to frustrate majority Republicans before, temporarily blocking approval of education funding cuts in 2011.

Republican supporters of the tighter regulation of abortion clinics said they would protect the health of women, and the ban on late-term abortions would protect the fetus based on controversial research that suggests pain is felt by 20 weeks of development.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, but conservative states have enacted laws in recent years that seek to place restrictions on the procedure, especially on abortions performed late in pregnancy.

A Philadelphia jury last month convicted abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell of murdering three babies during abortions at a clinic in a high-profile case that focused national attention on late term abortions.

Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization. The measure is extremely unlikely to become law because Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House.

Twelve states have passed 20-week bans, including two states where the bans take effect later this year, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Courts have blocked the bans in three of the 12 states - Arizona, Georgia and Idaho.

The Texas proposal would allow exemptions for abortions to save a woman's life and in cases of severe fetal abnormalities.

(Reporting by Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Greg McCune and Lisa Shumaker)