Senate bans partial-birth abortionIs there an echo in here? Weblog’s headline on March 13 proclaimed that the Senate banned partial-birth abortion. Now all the papers find it big news that they’ve done it again. (And again and again, actually.)
The bill passed yesterday was slightly different than it was back in March (that earlier version had language supporting the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision), but the comments are so overwhelmingly the same that Weblog could almost cut and paste the text from that March 13 posting. Prolifers support the bill because it bans a barbaric practice that might as well be called infanticide rather than abortion. Abortion rights supporters, on the other hand, say the ban is just a ruse—an effort to destroy Roe v. Wade.
Here’s what makes this story different: yesterday’s vote was the last step in Congress. From here it goes to President Bush’s desk to become law. And then it’s off to the courts. Um. Again. Anyone dizzy yet?
Still, if you’re interested in the news, here’s the coverage from the Associated Press, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, and the Los Angeles Times (which, in a separate story, says the ban is unlikely to take effect—a very premature conclusion).
Terri Schiavo’s murder thwartedYesterday’s partial-birth abortion ban vote wasn’t the only big news for prolifers yesterday. With a quick vote from the Florida legislature and an order from Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, mentally disabled Florida woman Terri Schiavo is being fed again, despite her legal husband’s efforts to starve her to death.
“It’s restored my belief in God,” her father told the Associated Press. Here are some of the major stories:
- Governor of Florida orders woman fed in right-to-die case | Gov. Jeb Bush ordered the feeding tube of a brain-damaged woman reinserted after the Legislature empowered him to do so (The New York Times)
- Governor acts on beliefs, not to win political backing | Personal conviction rather than political gain is the driving force behind Gov. Jeb Bush’s rapid intervention in the case of a brain-damaged woman whose feeding tube was removed (Mark Silva, The Orlando Sentinel)
- Schiavo back on life support | It took an unprecedented act of the state Legislature and an order from the governor backed with a threat of arrest, but Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube was reinserted late Tuesday (Tampa Tribune)
- Gov. Bush’s order puts Schiavo back on fluids | A crowd cheers as Terri Schiavo is moved to a hospital to have her feeding tube reinserted. A judge refuses to overturn Bush’s order (St. Petersburg Times)
- Terri Schiavo’s life | The Florida legislature passes a bill to save a woman’s life (David Gelernter, The Wall Street Journal)
- Earlier: Brain-damaged Fla. woman denied communion | The Roman Catholic priest of a brain-damaged woman whose feeding tube was removed this week tried to give her a final communion but was refused entry by police officers guarding the entrance to the hospice (Associated Press)
- Also: Florida police refuse to let dying comatose woman have holy communion (AFP)
- Also: Sacrament pits family against hospice | After a priest said he was blocked from giving Terri Schiavo her last holy communion at the hospice where she is cared for, her family demanded the hospice administrator produce a court order stipulating she could not receive the sacrament orally (Tampa Bay Online)
More articles
Anglican crisis:
- Robinson: Only God will keep me from post | “God and I have been about this for quite a while now and I would be really surprised if God were to want me to stop now,” says gay bishop-elect (Associated Press)
- Episcopal official will return to post | A month after announcing his resignation as assistant to Episcopal Bishop John Howe, the Rev. Ernest Bennett has reversed his decision, citing assurances that the Diocese of Central Florida will not split from the troubled denomination (The Orlando Sentinel)
- Board votes to reinstate diocese funds | Payment coming if funds available, church says (The Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, Oh.)
- Australian Anglicans to debate “repent” call for pro-gay colleagues | In a statement, the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney said it would discuss a motion on the “future shape of ministry”, which also commends Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen for speaking out against the moves (AFP)
- Activist expects Episcopal schism | Churches may switch bishops, conservative leader says (The Washington Post)
- Anglican bishop denounces gay colleagues | The cleric maintained that even animals do not mate with the same sex, wondering why a church “which is evangelical, orthodox, Bible-based, liturgical and charismatic would go against the Holy Bible” (Vanguard, Lagos, Nigeria)
- Anglican discord lamented | Former archbishop shares message at Charleston church (Charleston Post Courier, SC)
- Some fear ‘civil war,’ others hold out hope for unity | The rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Collierville has been thinking nonstop for weeks about the likely split of the Episcopal Church, USA, over the issue of homosexuality. (The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.)
- Warning to Williams: backing gays will cause riots and death (The Observer, London)
- Backward Christian soldiers | A meeting of Anglican primates at Lambeth last week sought to avoid a schism over the appointment of a gay bishop in America. Yet despite the conciliatory tone, the threadbare fabric of unity is unraveling (The Daily Telegraph, London)
- Woman priest was a teenage prostitute | Making clear he was against prostitution on “moral grounds”, former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said the Church’s attitude to prostitutes had been “harsh, unfeeling, uncaring and condemnatory” (The Independent, London)
- Anglican gay crisis yields no solution | Conservative Episcopalians put the best face possible on the primates’ statement (The Washington Times)
- Contributions to Episcopal diocese lag over gay issue | Six of 122 parishes within the Diocese of Southern Virginia are protesting by limiting contributions to the diocese (The Virginian-Pilot)
- Pledges cut to Va. Episcopal diocese | Largest, richest and most conservative parishes are putting out signals that they may secede from the diocese (The Washington Times)
- The Anglicans’ uncharacteristic civil war | The controversy has ended its first phase with definite winners and losers, though what exactly has been won and lost remains—in good Anglican fashion—somewhat ambiguous (David C. Steinmetz, The Boston Globe)
- Christ has plenty of room for divisions | Christians multiply as they divide (David Waters, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.)
- Way of the cross | Angry Anglicans are agonizing over gay bishops. Aren’t there more pressing issues to think about? (David Aaronovitch, The Observer, London)
- Why the Church must not split | It is better for liberals to be patient (Editorial, The Observer, London)
- I’d be sad to see my Church sundered by so small a thing | Sexual conduct is surely on the same level of seriousness as eating a bacon sandwich (A.N. Wilson, The Daily Telegraph, London)
- The Church’s unity is more important than sexuality | To incarnate homosexual ministry explicitly and aggressively into diocesan and parish life, in the way suggested in New Hampshire, is a violation of a far deeper pastoral imperative—the avoidance of scandal and the preservation, above all, of unity (Martin Newland, The Daily Telegraph)
Lt. Gen William Boykin (news):
- ‘Satan’ remark spurs investigation of officer | Senator calls for general’s reassignment (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- General’s comments to be investigated | Two senators say his remarks denigrated Islam. Rumsfeld says a probe is ‘appropriate.’ (Los Angeles Times)
- Pentagon to probe remarks made by general | Boykin angered Muslims, lawmakers (The Washington Post)
- General’s words under scrutiny (The New York Times)
- Rumsfeld backs inside probe of general’s speech | The secretary said it was not clear who will take up the matter, the Pentagon’s inspector general or the Army’s own watchdog (The Washington Times)
- Conservatives defend Boykin’s war remarks | U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) drafted a letter Monday asking Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld not to discipline Boykin (Associated Press)
- Senator: Gen. should step aside for probe | The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee called on Tuesday for the temporary reassignment of a Pentagon official who made church speeches casting the war on terrorism in religious terms (Associated Press)
Lt. Gen William Boykin (opinion):
- And he’s head of intelligence? | This is surely the first time a conservative evangelical has argued that Bill Clinton’s election was caused by divine intervention (Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek)
- The general who roared | Lt. Gen. William Boykin, who has called the war on terrorism a “Christian battle” and disparaged Muslims, should be dismissed from his post (Editorial, The New York Times)
- Wrong and divisive | Some comments also raise questions about Gen. Boykin’s fitness to oversee military intelligence, questions of religious bigotry aside (Editorial, The Washington Post)
- A war against terror, not religions | Recently, on different sides of the globe, an American general and a Malaysian prime minister matched each other’s ignorance in speeches blaming religion for political conflicts (Editorial, The San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Boykin vs Bin Ladin | The dark reality of American administration’s evangelical agenda occasionally cuts through the public relations gloss (Editorial, The Daily Times, Pakistan)
- Gen. Boykin’s fighting spirit | I am inclined to believe that he is splendidly fit for such combat, and I thank God that we have such a man as Gen. Boykin in our midst (Tony Blankley, The Washington Times)
- The general in his pulpit | There’s more than a hint of anti-Christian bigotry at work here (John Podhoretz, New York Post)
- Playing into the radicals’ hands | Boykin comes across as a 21st century version of the European crusaders (Bonnie Erbe, Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
- Warring with God | In the 21st century, exclusivist religion, no matter how “mainstream” and no matter how muted the anathemas that follow from its absolutes, is a sure way to religious war (James Carroll, The Boston Globe)
- Anti-Islam remarks show a closed mind | Beyond the question of Boykin’s fitness to serve, his remarks show that the crucial culture gap over faith is not between those who are religious and those who aren’t, but between those who are 100-percent convinced their religion is the only way to salvation and those who are willing to live with a little less certainty (Robert Jensen, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
- Gen. Boykin: Will he become Bush’s Bartman? | Osama bin Laden has said he is engaged in a holy war with the U.S. For the general who is now charged with finding him, the feeling is mutual—and the general is not making any secret of it (Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune)
- Whose god is ‘real’ and ‘bigger’? | There is no excuse for using his public position and visibility to spread hatred and disinformation about a great religion (Ehsan Ahrari, Asia Times)
- Both in U.S. and Muslim world, we must control those who cultivate hatred | The Bush administration won’t win support for continuous and misdirected warfare among the more informed U.S. public. Bush must continue to rely on support from less informed, more radical factions within his own religion of Christianity. (Adam Pollock, Citizen-Times, Asheville, N.C.)
Islam
- Where the Moors held sway, Allah is praised again | A homegrown movement is giving Islam an added momentum in Spain (The New York Times)
- Bush praises Islam but slams extremists | “We know that Islam is fully compatible with liberty and tolerance and progress because we see the proof in your country and in our own,” president says in Indonesia (Reuters)
YWCA fires Patricia Ireland:
- YWCA: Beyond the pool | Patricia Ireland is canned just before unveiling the YWCA’s new agenda (Newsweek)
- YWCA’s top official fired after 6 months in job | Organization says it “proved to be the wrong platform” for her advocacy on women’s issues (The Washington Post)
- A target of conservatives’ ire, Y.W.C.A. chief is dismissed (The New York Times)
- Patricia Ireland dismissed as YWCA chief (Associated Press)
Bible ban in Calgary hospitals:
- Christians won’t relish Bible removal | Some people, espousing tolerance for all, plan on being intolerant to most by removing Bibles from hospital rooms (Licia Corbella, Calgary Sun)
- Gideons, begone! Calgary hospitals may banish the Bible | If the policy is approved, Gideon Bible, a bedside staple provided by Gideons International, will be removed from all hospital rooms in the city and the Calgary Health Region will ban all distribution and display of any printed religious materials in hospitals (CanWest News Service)
- Bible may be banned from city hospitals | Health region wants to be fair to all faiths (Calgary Herald)
- Hospital Bible ban report untrue | So say officials (Calgary Sun)
Pastors protest, praise Mormons:
- Pastors condemn preachers’ acts | They say such ‘evangelists’ don’t represent mainstream (Deseret Morning News, Ut.)
- Utah pastors show solidarity with LDS Church against street protesters | 37 area pastors say activities of hate and discrimination have NO place under the banner of Christianity (KSL, Salt Lake City, Ut. | video)
- Salt Lake City clergy call for civility toward LDS (The Salt Lake Tribune)
History
- Digging out the truth of Exodus | Trenches could be the first physical evidence for the Bible story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt (U.S. News & World Report)
- Is this where Jesus bathed? | A shopkeeper running a small souvenir business in Nazareth has made a sensational discovery that could dramatically rewrite the history of Christianity (The Guardian, London)
10 Commandments and the Pledge
- Is there still a place for ‘God’? | Pledge of Allegiance resonates post-9/11 – all but one word (The Denver Post)
- The pledge issue | In such a benign context, the God allusion is more ceremonial or traditional than anything else is (Editorial, The Toledo Blade, Oh.)
- Pledge of Allegiance comes before the court | Arguments against current practice are nonsense (Editorial, The Miami Herald)
- Ten Commandments suit goes to court | Habersham defends courthouse display as historical, ‘not religious’ (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- Commandments dispute left to judge | Displays of the Ten Commandments in Habersham County are now in the hands of a federal judge after a one-day trial in Gainesville, Georgia Monday (WXIA, Atlanta)
- Ten Commandments decision may take weeks | Federal Judge William O’Kelley called a May 2001 resolution passed by the Habersham County Commission to post the Ten Commandments “the most blatant religious resolution I’ve ever seen” (The Northeast Georgian)
- Judge talks about God, monument | Roy Moore discusses Ten Commandments controversy, why he defied court orders (The State, Columbia, S.C.)
- Judge argues to keep God in government | Roy Moore has been traveling around the country raising support for his fight to take his case to the Supreme Court (The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.)
Abuse:
- Arbitration begins in Boston abuse suits | By agreeing to participate in an $85 million settlement with the Boston Archdiocese, clergy sex abuse victims like Alexa MacPherson face a painful task: sharing the details of their molestation (Associated Press)
- Sensitive task of putting a price tag on sex abuse | It is an extraordinary mandate – the first time, attorneys say, that compensation in a large sexual-abuse case has been based on plaintiffs’ post-abuse suffering, not just the nature of their victimization (The Christian Science Monitor)
- Most plaintiffs accept $85 million church deal | More than 80 percent of the 552 eligible people have agreed to take part (The Boston Globe)
- Plaintiffs back clergy abuse case settlement | Enough of the 552 alleged victims agree to an $85-million deal that Boston officials offered (Los Angeles Times)
- Where victims of the clergy try to talk it out | A lighthouse is meant to guide travelers safely on their way (The New York Times)
Pope John Paul II
- Working for the Pope | For Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, the Pope is also the boss, an employer who can summon him with a telephone call (BBC)
- Could this be the next pope? | An Italian makes the early running in a race that dare not speak its name (Time Europe)
- John Paul II: The Superpope | Twenty-five years ago he was the action man Pope – an athlete, a skier and a tireless missionary for the Roman Catholic Church. Now he is the wheelchair Pope, barely able to speak, too frail to move. But while the flesh is weak, he rules with a will of iron (John Wilkins, The Independent, London)
- Pope John Paul II installs new cardinals | His health failing, Pope John Paul II added 30 names to the list of his possible successors Tuesday, installing a diverse collection of cardinals in a consistory some say may be his last (Associated Press)
- Pope elevates 31 to Vatican’s College of Cardinals (Reuters)
- Pope wraps up 25th anniversary week | Presided over a final Mass with his new cardinals but again struggling to deliver his prayers (Associated Press)
- Cardinals now must ponder the unspoken | Two things are true in the papal race: It is next to impossible to predict with certainty who will emerge as the next pope, and the best candidate is he who does not appear to be one (Los Angeles Times)
- Pope installs 31 new cardinals | Ailing John Paul completes group that will choose his successor (The Washington Post)
- Pope confirms cardinals, as talk turns to succession | Confirming 30 new cardinals, Pope John Paul II put what may be the final touches on the group that will elect his successor (The New York Times)
- Big cheering section for Rigali | Family, pilgrims on hand for ceremony (Philadelphia Daily News)
Mother Teresa
- A message on Mother Teresa | In event, O’Malley sees affirmation (The Boston Globe)
- A saint for the world to cherish | Mother Teresa stood out not merely for her compassion but for being just so non-judgmental (Navin Chawla, The Indian Express)
- Rome glorifies Mother Teresa in myriad ways | Her beatification is accompanied by a play, a TV program and vendors (Los Angeles Times)
- Pope beatifies Mother Teresa before throng of rich, poor | The nun who worked with the sick and dying is officially on the path to sainthood. A frail pontiff is unable to make address himself (Los Angeles Times)
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