SUPREME COURT-ABORTION PROTESTERS
High court voids abortion clinic protest-free zone
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court decision striking down the 35-foot buffer zone outside Massachusetts abortion clinics upholds the free-speech rights of protesters.
Martha Walz, president of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, says the ruling could force women seeking abortions to run a gauntlet of screaming protesters.
But Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, says the vast majority of protesters “peacefully pray and witness in front of abortion facilities.”
The plaintiff in the case, Boston-area grandmother Eleanor McCullen, told reporters outside the Supreme Court in January that she doesn’t yell at women seeking abortions, but offers them help and alternatives. McCullen said if they ignore her and “keep walking, that’s fine.”
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that authorities have less intrusive ways to deal with potential confrontations or other problems that can arise outside clinics.
Sound:
304-a-10-(Eleanor McCullen, plaintiff in abortion buffer zone case, with reporters outside Supreme Court in January)-“to love people”-When the Supreme Court heard her case in January, abortion protester Eleanor McCullen said she never yells at women entering Planned Parenthood clinics. (26 Jun 2014)
< 303-w-31-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Eleanor McCullen, plaintiff in abortion buffer zone case)–The Supreme Court decision striking down the 35-foot buffer zone outside abortion clinics in Massachusetts upholds the free-speech rights of protesters. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (26 Jun 2014) < 305-a-06-(Eleanor McCullen, plaintiff in abortion buffer zone case, with reporters outside Supreme Court in January)-“walking. That’s fine”-When the Supreme Court heard her case in January, abortion protester Eleanor McCullen said she offers women alternatives to abortion. (26 Jun 2014) < 266-a-12-(Martha Walz, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, at news conference)-“to come in”-Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts President Martha Walz is worried protesters will get too close. (26 Jun 2014) < IRAQ-CHRISTIANS Iraqi Christians flee to Kurdistan region IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — An insurgent artillery offensive against Christian villages in northern Iraq has sent thousands of people fleeing from their homes, seeking sanctuary in the Kurdish enclave. The shelling of the cluster of villages happened Wednesday in an area 45 miles from the frontier of the self-ruled Kurdish region. Around 2,000 Christians had entered the Kurdish city of Irbil by Thursday morning. Many arrived at churches in Irbil in the early morning hours after a long night without any sleep and were trying to get some rest at a sports center, where men and women are divided into separate rooms. Inside the center the temperature continued to rise with the heat of the day and the ever increasing number of Christians seeking shelter there. Many Christians at the sports center said they have no future in Iraq and want to leave the country entirely. A Christian official in Irbil, Ano Jawhar Abdoka, says the Kurdish region is the only part of Iraq where Christians are protected from violence. Sound: 253-a-06-(Ano Jawhar Abdoka, head of the Shlama Entity for Christian Issues, in AP interview)-“all over Iraq”-Ano Jawhar Abdoka, a Christian official in Irbil, says the Kurdish region is the only part of Iraq where Christians are protected. (26 Jun 2014) < 252-a-04-(Ano Jawhar Abdoka, head of the Shlama Entity for Christian Issues, in AP interview)-“Kurdistan region government”-Ano Jawhar Abdoka, a Christian official in Irbil, says thousands of Iraqi Christians are fleeing villages that were shelled by insurgents. (26 Jun 2014) < SUDAN Sudanese Christian woman freed again KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese Christian woman whose death sentence for apostasy was overturned has been freed again after being detained on accusations of forging travel documents. Meriam Ibrahim walked out of a Khartoum police station Thursday carrying her infant daughter hours after lawyers said she was ordered released. Ibrahim and her husband, who is disabled and was seen being carried by two men, got into a vehicle with their other child and sped away, followed by police cars and two vehicles with diplomatic plates. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters in Washington Thursday that the U.S. believes Ibrahim “has all of the documents she needs to travel to and enter the United States.” Harf added, “It is up to the government of Sudan to allow her to exit the country.” Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim, was convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian. She insists she was never a Muslim, but was raised as a Christian from the beginning. Sound: 275-a-10-(Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman, at briefing)-“exit the country”-State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf says the U.S. is trying to help Meriam Ibrahim leave Sudan. (26 Jun 2014) < 274-a-06-(Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman, at briefing)-“quickly as possible”-State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf says Meriam Ibrahim has been released from a Khartoum police station. (26 Jun 2014) < 316-a-08-(Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman, at briefing)-“her travel documents”-State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf says 27-year-old Meriam Ibrahim faces a new charge after being detained with her family at Khartoum’s airport. ((cut used in wrap)) (25 Jun 2014) < 315-w-33-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf)–The Sudanese Christian woman whose death sentence for apostasy was overturned on appeal has been arrested again. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (25 Jun 2014) < 317-a-06-(Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman, at briefing)-“keeping them safe”-State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf says the U.S. is trying to work with Sudanese officials to resolve a charge that Meriam Ibrahim’s passport was forged. ((longer version of cut used in wrap)) (25 Jun 2014) < VATICAN-FAMILY Vatican: Many Catholics ignore teachings on sex VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican is admitting that many Catholics around the world reject its teachings about artificial contraception as an intrusion into their private lives, and are ignorant of other core doctrines about marriage, divorce and homosexuality. The Vatican blamed its own priests for much of the problem. It says they simply aren’t doing a good enough job educating the faithful about essential church teachings and helping families when they run into trouble. The analysis was contained in a document released Thursday summarizing the results of a Vatican questionnaire sent to bishops’ conferences around the world last year in preparation for a two-year study on family issues launched by Pope Francis. Thousands of ordinary Catholics, clergy and academics responded, providing the Vatican with unusual grass-roots data for the discussion. Sound: 192-c-07-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“really stands for”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports that many of those questioned seemed clueless about core Catholic Church doctrines, such as those on marriage, divorce and homosexuality. (26 Jun 2014) < 193-c-14-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“through difficult times”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports the Vatican primarily blames its own mission for not communicating the core doctrines clearly enough. (26 Jun 2014) < 191-c-16-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“their private life”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports the results of a Vatican questionnaire reveal that most Catholics around the world reject the church’s teachings about sex and contraception. (26 Jun 2014) < RIVERFRONT CROSSES Appeals court dismisses riverfront crosses appeal EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A federal appeals court has dismissed an Indiana church’s appeal of a judge’s decision barring its plan to display 31 crosses along four blocks of the city’s riverfront, saying the church lacked standing because it was not a party to the original lawsuit. The ruling by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said the West Side Christian Church of Evansville could have standing if it applied to the city for a permit to display the crosses and was denied. However, the court decision also said “West Side’s road ahead might not necessarily get any easier if it ever attains standing to challenge the injunction.” U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker ruled last July that the city’s plan to allow a church to erect 31 6-foot-tall, 4-foot wide crosses decorated by Bible school children along a public sidewalk near the Ohio River would convey an unconstitutional endorsement of religion by the city. FLAGPOLE ON MOUNTAINTOP-MISSIONARIES Missionaries’ flagpole on mountain likely illegal SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City are trying to figure out what to do with a flagpole that was cemented onto a mountaintop by missionaries. Hikers discovered the American flag this week on Mount Olympus, a 9,000-foot peak on the east side of the Salt Lake valley. It was flying above a T-shirt bearing the name of the mission and the signatures of several missionaries. The summit is a designated wilderness area where it’s illegal to make any permanent installations, according to the Forest Service. Spokeswoman Jessica Moody of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said leaders of the Salt Lake City East Mission were looking into the matter and planned to “address it appropriately.” STRUCTURE COLLAPSE-TEXAS 36 taken to hospitals after Texas floor collapses KATY, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a floor collapsed under a large crowd of people gathered in a suburban Houston home, sending three-dozen people to hospitals, mostly with minor injuries. West I-10 Fire Department spokesman Tim Thomas says the collapse occurred Thursday afternoon as about 100 people were gathering for a religious event in a residential neighborhood in Katy, just west of Houston. He says people were in a residence above a detached garage when the floor gave way. It’s unclear how many people were inside at the time. He says most of the 36 people taken to hospitals weren’t seriously hurt, though three suffered “urgent” but not critical injuries. Emergency crews set up a makeshift triage area in the front yards of several homes. Some of those injured were taken away by stretcher. EPISCOPAL FUTURE Trial in SC Episcopal schism may be delayed CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A state lawsuit stemming from an Episcopal schism in South Carolina may be delayed because of an appeal to the state Court of Appeals. Churches in the conservative Diocese of South Carolina split from the more liberal national church almost two years ago amid differences over theological issues, including the authority of Scripture and the ordination of gays. The churches that left sued in state court to protect the use of the diocesan name and ownership of the property of the parishes. The lawsuit is scheduled to be heard by Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein next month in Dorchester County. Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein last month denied a motion by the diocese remaining with the national church to add four people, including Bishop Mark Lawrence, to the case. Lawrence heads the diocese that split with the national church. Since Goodstein’s ruling has been appealed, the trial is on hold. GERMANY-JEWISH IMMIGRATION Germany eases immigration rules for Ukrainian Jews BERLIN (AP) — Germany is easing its immigration restrictions for Jews from Ukraine amid reports of an increase in anti-Semitic incidents there since the crisis broke out. The German government said Thursday it will give priority to immigration applications from Ukrainian Jews over those from Jews of other ex-Soviet republics and will waive some of the stricter application rules that have been in place since 2005. After the fall of Communism in 1989, Germany established a generous immigration program for Jews who wanted to leave the ex-Soviet Union because of widespread anti-Semitism there. It led to an influx of some 200,000 Jews in the last 25 years, and the regulations were tightened in 2005. The government said it is watching the situation for Jews in Ukraine closely.
