State same-sex bill headed to Gov. Davis despite objections By Patrick Joyce Legislation giving same-sex couples "substantially all rights , benefi ts, and obligations of married persons " appears headed to Gov. Gray Davis for his signatu re, despite the opposition of the California Catholic Conference and several other organizations supporting traditional values. The California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003 passed the Assembly in June , the Senate Judiciary Committee in July and the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday Aug. 25. With strong support in the Democrat-controlled Senate, the bill , AB 205 , is likely to be passed soon by the Senate. Davis has said he will sign the bill. Calling AB 205 a "monumental change in state law, " the California Catliolic Conference is urging Catholics to make their opposition known by calling the Governor and their representatives in the state Assembly and Senate. "We have consistently opposed AB 205. This bill is significant because it will 'lock in ' most of marriage 's ' righ ts, responsibilities , and benefits ' for domestic partners. It will have an impact on lives of Californians in many ways, " said a statement from the conference, the public policy voice of the state 's bishops. "What will we have wrought it we, in a fit of misguided compassion, accede to the arguments of the gay and lesbian activists, " a CCC analysis of the bill said, "We will be consigning their children to a social laboratory. We will be creating legal chaos: if people of the same sex can many, legal logic will demand that any two (or more) consenting adultscan marry." In the analysis, Carol Hogan, the conference 's associate director for communications and pastoral project s, cited the words of the Vatican 's recent statement opposing same-set unions: "Marriage is not o-T just any relationship between human beings. It was established by the b Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose. " I S "We believe marriage is a sacrament and a covenant in which ยง ! God's grace is manifest in the love, reciprocity, fidelity and mutu ality of ยงi the relationship, " she said. "It is the ideal to which we should aspire. We E should not lower the bar especially for the next generation. What is best u for children is to be nurtured by married parents in a loving home." Ultra-Orthodox Jews surround the bodies of Goldie Other opponents of the bill describe it as an attempt to circumZarkowski and her infant son, Ely, during a funeral vent Proposition 22 , the "Defense of Marriage Initiative, " which was service in Jerusalem Aug. 20. They were among the 20 approved by voters by a 6l to 39 percent majority three years ago. people killed in a Palestinian suicide bombing attack on a Proposition 22 declares that California recognizes only marriages Jerusalem bus the day before , ending a seven-week truce. between a woman and a man . AB 205, page 10
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Catholic hospitals f acing attacks f or church values By Jack Smith Catliolic hospitals are one of the oldest and largest traditions of voluntary public service in America, yet their ability to provide services in accord with their values is under increasing attack by those opposed to the "freedom of conscience" guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Father Michael Place, STD, president of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, and Dr. Lynn Wardle, professor of Law at Brigham Young University,made this argument to lawyersattending the annual American Bar Association meeting in San Francisco Aug. 11. Father Place and Dr. Wardle were participants in a session entitled "Patients ' Rights: Refusal Clauses and Their Impact on Healthcare Access and Rights." The "refusal clauses "
Sacramento cathedral renewal and synod ~ Page 5 ~
in question are those State and Federal "conscience clauses" which prohibit the government from forcing individuals and associations to participate in, provide, or pay for abortions, sterilizations, or other procedures they oppose on religious or other "conscience" grounds. The freedom of Catliolic institutions to refuse to perform abortions , was opposed by the other panel participants including Frances Kissling of Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), and representatives from the ACLU, MergerWatch, and the National Women's Law Center. Congress enacted the seminal modern conscience clause, the "Church Amendment, " in 1973. It declared Congress ' intention that in the administration of HOSPITALS, page 8
History oj St. Matthew Parish in San Mateo ~ Pages 12-13 ~
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News in Brief
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Meeting in Phillipines
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Gay support group
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Editorial and letters
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Vatican and globalization . . 18 Book reviews
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