A bill broadening so-called conscience protections and the number of employers who can refuse to provide contraception services in health insurance coverage has been approved by a North Carolina House committee.

The bill approved Wednesday allows any medical professional to refuse to participate in an abortion and allows any business to refuse to provide contraception coverage on religious or moral grounds.

The bill expands so-called conscience protections beyond doctors and nurses to include people such as pharmacists and technicians.

The contraception provision expands existing law that exempts religious organizations to any private or nonprofit company.

The bill also outlaws health care plans that include abortion services from future online marketplaces of private plans offered under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Opponents say the bill tramples women's rights.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina is hoping the public can help them click their way to a grant from Walmart by voting for them in the "Fighting Hunger Together" initiative.

This initiative is a national campaign where money is awarded to programs that get the most votes for their innovative and effective programs that help alleviate child hunger. The public will decide what organization will receive the grants through a voting campaign at www.facebook.com/walmart that includes more than 300 different hunger relief organizations from across the country.

The more votes a Feeding America food bank or partner agency gets, the better chances they have of winning the money.

The campaign kicked off April 1, and ends 11:59 pm ET on April 30.

Responding to the requests of Mecklenburg County ophthalmologist groups and practices, Central Piedmont Community College will open a new diploma program to train ophthalmic medical assistants in August 2013. Kathleen Rodgers, formerly of Horizon Eye Care in Charlotte, will serve as program chair and instructor.

The one-year program will prepare students for positions in ophthalmologist and optometrist offices. Upon completion of the program, students will take the national Certified Ophthalmic Assistant exam. CPCC’s program will be only the third ophthalmic medical assistant program offered by a North Carolina community college.

Officials say that given the Charlotte region’s aging population, eye physicians have a growing need for ophthalmic assistants. According to U.S. Dept. of Labor information, ophthalmic medical assistant is of the 30-most rapidly growing occupations in the nation.