AUGUSTA -- A proposal to use state funds to pay for the abortions of poor women was shelved by a legislative committee. Members of the Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously against the measure after revisiting the proposal Friday. The bill was important to activists on both sides of the issue. Abortion-rights advocates said it addressed inequities in health care while social conservatives objected to using tax money for a procedure they oppose morally. Lawmakers, particularly supporters of the measure, cited the proposal's cost in a difficult fiscal climate as a factor in its demise. Opponents stressed the outcry...