July 3, 1992

Page 1

11IH 13d\/H3

ATHOLIC

**vasri nostim

B3

£

NOii33nq? uooo-so

& Herald

on

t

inews

Volume

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

A Very

Special Fourth...

Number 40

1

July

3,

1992

Supreme Court Upholds Most Of Pennsylvania Abortion Restrictions WASHINGTON preme

(CNS)

— The

— That women

Su-

Court's complicated decision up-

at least

upholding most of Pennsylvania's abortion

tion.

law and narrowly reaffirming part of the

That minors must get permission from one parent or a judge before having an

ruling.

The Diocese of

Maggi

Charlotte's

mation.

— That medical

was "encouraged" by the rul"Ultimately, we hope for complete

abortion.

"The idea of showing

impose limits on abortion, but drew

John Paul Stevens in saying Roe vs. Wade remains a workable standard, even though

the ruling in-

disagreed.

members reaffirmed the "essential holding" ofRoe vs. Wade: that women

those

have a

calling the ruling a

point at

have abortions before the which the fetus could survive out-

side the

womb,

without undue interference

darkness to fall, the flame has grown bright,"

con-

fear for the darkness as four justices anx-

Five

right to

— Two of

those five rejected

all

to the spouse-notification requirement, call-

ing

it

an "undue burden."

— Four

justices

would have used

the

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern

Wade,

vs.

Casey, to throw out

the 1973 decision

— The same

Roe

;veral ministries were announced by

McS weeney

)hn J.

was implemented

McSweeney.

Msgr.

McSweeney

ffthe diocese,

more

indicated the

accessible services

and align some departments

synod goals established

One of

— employed by

the diocese

located

in 1987.

Catholic Center in Charlotte," said Msgr.

McSweeney. "Personnel

will

now be more

the

The new

encomasses offices ofReligious Education, Youth Formation.

llinistry,

Young Adult

office

Ministry, and Jus-

Newnan, who has of Religious Education, was

and Peace.

l^en director

Chris

Catholic Conference Center in Hickory.

From his Center,

iiation.

By

Formation will provide a total formaof faith for people of all ages. "The

[(dividual ministries are still in existence,"

'

Msgr. McSweeney. "However, comthe educational ministries into

better serves the parishes

|es,"

he

"We

and

one

whom Blackmun referred

William H. Rehnquist and Byron R. White, Antonin Scalia Justice

and Clarence Thomas should be abandoned.

"We

believe that

married women plan-

tial

it

said Roe vs.

dissent.

He

Wade

Roe was wrongly

can and should be

wrote Rehnquist

overruled

in their par-

said the majority opinion,

"retains the outer shell of

Roe

vs.

Wade

...

but beats a wholesale retreat from the substance of that case."

Associate Editor Joann Keane contrib-

court upheld these provisions of

uted to this story.

center.

Deacon Piche

also

In

ity for the

esan

day

to

becomes diocesan

day management of dioc-

Deacon Piche served

as finance direc-

tor for the diocese for six years.

member

He

is

a

of Queen of the Apostles in

A related story about recent changes in

are actually

issue.

CHARLOTTE County

Mecklenburg

Court Judge William

District

is

on Page 16 ofthis

see people

who are drenched in that wrong

message; the secular, godless message of

Constangy's request for Supreme Court

violence, drugs, sexual promiscuity and

review of his case has been denied.

perversity, said Constangy. "It

The June 29 decision upholds the U.S.

I

barring Constangy from prayer at the start of

can public to realize

his daily court session.

gone

Prior to the ruling, Constangy

would

begin his court session by saying "Let us in

was free to leave during the He would then bow his head,

our public

life."

The Supreme Court's June 29 decision follows their June 24 decision on Lee vs.

A 5^ decision which said public

invocation.

school graduation

67-word prayer, which

lasted

about 20 seconds. "I

"It's

a step in the wrong

and sends absolutely the wrong message to the community." "Every day, as a district court judge, I

direction

stripped

away

may not include prayers common

the last remaining

use of prayer in school settings. Constangy 's

am disappointed with the decision,"

said Constangy.

how far our nation has God from any

in attempting to strip

Weisman.

utter the

time that

hope that this decision awakens the Ameri-

the courtroom

and

is

we all join together to change that message.

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling

pause for a moment of prayer." Anyone

facilities.

vicari-

have not eliminated or reduced

Case

By JOANN KEANE

assuming responsibil-

the Diocese ofRaleigh

We

Charlotte Courtroom Prayer

will oversee the op-

we

said.

nds, or reduced staff.

Conference

Belmont, where he serves as a permanent deacon.

iminates duplication of efforts, and,

Bel,

Deacon Piche

director of facilities,

pooling resources and personnel,

laith

Ijning

office at the Catholic

erations of the four-year-old conference

lamed director of the Office of Faith For-

!{iid

I

Associate Editor

ment of Deacon Guy Piche as director of the

jfcin

Justices

four to

Court Refuses To Hear Appeal

cese."

Wolves establishment of the Office of

I

The

available in the rural counties of the dio-

Other changes involve the appoint-

x

"And

to continued

requests for professional resource persons

more extensive changes

jaith

adding that they also would support the

Pennsylvania's Abortion Control Law:

"The changes respond

partial dissent.

throughout the diocese, rather than in the

1.

langes provide

Msgr.

vicar general andchan-

Reorganization

;llor.

dy

,

said Msgr.

a

in

decided, and that

ning abortions to notify their husbands. increasing persons involved in ministries,''

The

— Chief

making abor-

four joined with three

state's rightto require

Donoghue in the structure of

Blackmun

victory.

so many expected the

iously await the single vote necessary to

ute,

ishop John F.

narrow

"Now, just when

extinguish the light."

three justices objected only

others in upholding the Pennsylvania stat-

initiated by

favor permitting abortion in

tested provisions of the Pennsylvania law.

Several Diocesan Ministries

—Changes

who

The remaining

vs.

Associate Editor

opinion in Roe, echoed the sentiments of

said

state.

tion legal throughout the country.

CHARLOTTE

Roe, Blackmun and Stevens

Blackmun, who wrote the majority

Pennsylvania

By JOANN KEANE

O'Connor, Kennedy and

conflict with

case,

Donoghue Reorganizes

But while

justices upheld provisions of

parental notification and other record-keep-

uke Siharath, planned secondary resettlement director for the Diocese of Charlotte's Refugee

3ishop

state

quiring informed consent, a waiting period,

f

JOANN KEANE

has required judicial assessment of

laws affecting access to abortion. Souter said Pennsylvania's law was not in

from the

Luke when he became an

it

the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act re-

ing.

Photo by

were

three

husbands before undergoing abor-

— Seven

to

The

the opinion of the court.

joined by Justices Harry Blackmun and

The major elements of

name from Somsanuk

thony Kennedy and David Souter delivered

making married women account

clude:

first

stages of fetal

serve to educate those

Sandra Day O'Connor, An-

Justices

five-part opinion upheld states'

tions.

Siharath changed his

may

contemplating an abortion," said Nadol.

to their

e occasion.

de-

ing.

the line at

imerican citizen. (See related stories on Page 2)

file

development

rights to

Day as a U.S. citizen. A Laotian native, Siharath became DAR presented Siharath with an American flag to commemorate

must

about each abor-

Life Office,

The

The

offices

tailed, confidential reports

protection for the unborn," said Nadol.

celebrates his first Independence

fetal development and must wait 24 hours after receiving that infor-

tives

Act actually was within one vote of becoming a ruling to overturn Roe vs. Wade. The nation's highest court in its June 29 ruling divided into three overlapping camps,

Fitzpatrick Nadol, director of the Respect

U.S. citizen this spring.

and

holding Pennsylvania's Abortion Control

1973 Roe

)ffice,

seeking abortions must

receive information about risks, alterna-

legal counsel

had hoped to dovetail the two

cases.

"The Supreme Court appears to be expanding the limits onrehgious freedoms" said Constangy.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.