Outside the Fence 2/16

Regional

The House of Delegates, on a 66-32 vote, approved the “personhood” bill, passing it on to the senate and provoking concerns from Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell about the bill’s constitutionality, according to The Free Lance-Star.

Opponents say the “personhood” bill could outlaw contraception and affects birth control’s principle of preventing pregnancy at the point of contraception, according to The Free Lance-Star. Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn fears that the bill will cause restrictions on contraception. According to Delegate Bob Marshall, his bill was based on a longtime statue in Missouri and the potential outcome of hindering contraception hasn’t happened.

Marshall stated that his bill produces a legal cause of action for the unjust death of an unborn child and will not affect contraception of currently legal abortion.

National

Derrick N. Smith, a former Fairfax County school bus driver, was downloading child pornography in his bedroom when investigators barged in. Assistant Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney, Jonathan Phillips, said that Herndon detectives, with a warrant, traced Smith’s computer in September 2010. They found more than 100 child porn files, according to Phillips.

According to The Washington Post, Smith drove bus routes for South Lakes High School, Langston Hughes Middle School, Lake Anne Elementary School and Hunters Wood Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences. Smith was not suspected to have committed crimes involving with any of these Reston area schools.

According to attorneys, Smith has been convicted for eight counts of possession of child pornography and given a suggested 180 days in jail. Smith has pleaded not guilty, according to The Washington Post. On May 18, 2012, Fairfax County Circuit Court judge will sentence Smith.

Global

In Tehran, Iran, state TV showed their President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wore a white coat and examined rods loaded into a reactor. The ceremony took place in the Natanz facility, which is located in the middle of the country, and it revealed new developments for Iran’s nuclear program.

Further efficient enrichment centrifuges and the first domestically made nuclear fuel in reactors were displayed. These new productions are faster, more efficient uranium enrichment centrifuges.

According to Fereydoon Abbasi Davani, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, the new developments are three times more efficient than their existing capacity. At their Qom plant in January, Iran started the production of uranium enhancement up to 20 percent, the International Atomic Energy Agency had confirmed

According to BBC News, Tehran sated its intention is to produce their own energy while western countries are in fear of nuclear weapon production. Ahmadinejad stated that Iran’s program to enrich uranium would not be stopped.

Iran chose to create its own fuel after a bad deal with an abroad reactor. James Reynolds, the BBC’s correspondent to Iran, said Iran’s determination comes from the desire to master nuclear technology independently; international disapproval won’t affect Iran’s work. BBC News stated that the U.S. and European Union have begun pressuring Iranian oil sales in order to put strain Tehran’s nuclear process.