March 29, 2013

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

www.catholic-sf.org

SERVING SAN FRANCISCO, MARIN & SAN MATEO COUNTIES

$1.00 | VOL. 15 NO. 10

MARCH 29, 2013

SF supervisor proposes buffer at abortion clinics

Court may hold off Prop. 8 ruling, justices suggest

VALERIE SCHMALZ PATRICIA ZAPOR

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

A San Francisco supervisor is proposing a fixed 25-foot buffer zone around free-standing reproductive health clinics, a law that would hamper outreach by a local prayer campaign affiliated with the international Christian pro-life movement 40 Days for Life. Supervisor David Campos introduced the ordinance on March 19, and seven of the 11 supervisors co-sponsored it. It was sent to a committee and Campos expects the legislation will be approved by May. “The national war on women is reaching a boiling point,” Campos said. The ordinance would create a 25-foot fixed buffer zone around all entrances, exits and driveways of free-standing reproductive health clinics and would mean 40 Days for Life would be required to move its prayer vigil from the sidewalk near Planned Parenthood’s 1650 Valencia St. clinic, which performs abortions. It would apply “only to reproductive health care facilities” that are free-standing and would not apply to hospitals where abortions are performed, according to the ordinance text. For a first offense, violators would be incarcerated in the county jail for three months or fined $500, or both. The penalty for a second offense would be six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, or both. “It will hinder our ability to be a presence,” said 40 Days for Life coordinator Cathleen Gillies. She said women talk to the volunteers, who stand quietly, pray and offer SEE CLINICS, PAGE 20

(CNS/ERICH LESSING, ART RESOURCE, NEW YORK)

WASHINGTON – The legal question of the constitutionality of California’s law banning same-sex marriage may take a back seat to consideration of whether the time is “ripe” for a national-level ruling, suggested the Supreme Court justices’ questioning in the first of two major marriage cases being heard the last week of March. In oral arguments March 26 in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the justices first asked each of the three attorneys making presentations to weigh in about whether the group of people appealing a federal judge’s decision overturning Prop.osition 8 has the legal standing to do so. Prop. 8 is being defended in court not by the California governor or attorney general, who declined to appeal, but by those who put the amendment on the ballot. Much of the questioning revolved around whether the country has had sufficient time to consider same-sex marriage and study how such marriages affect society and particularly how they affect children. Same-sex marriage hasn’t even been a part of society as long as cellphones and the Internet, noted Justice Samuel Alito. It’s too soon to know whether the effect of same-sex marriage is good or not, he told Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., who argued on behalf of the federal government that the voter-approved California law should be overturned. The U.S. govern-

The risen Christ is depicted in this detail from a 14th-century painting from Austria. Easter, the feast of the Resurrection, is March 31 in the Latin church this year.

SEE PROP. 8, PAGE 20

Crowd in support of traditional marriage marches to Supreme Court CAROL ZIMMERMANN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Thousands of people who gathered at one end of the National Mall March 26 in support of traditional marriage took their message to the U.S. Supreme Court as they walked and held aloft placards with signs saying: “Kids do best with a mom and dad.” The court began hearing oral arguments that morning on the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8, the law banning same-sex marriage, the day before hearing oral arguments in a challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Hours before and up to the minute the

hearings began, the street in front of the court was filled with protesters on both sides of the same-sex marriage issue. Those in support of traditional marriage came to Washington with church or parish groups from nearby or had traveled alone or with one or two others from states across the country, including Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota and Florida. When the groups dispersed, those supporting traditional marriage continued their march back to the rally point on the mall where numerous speakers echoed the message that marriage should not be redefined. Under sunny blue skies but chilly temperatures, those taking part in

the March for Marriage cheered and applauded speakers who addressed the crowd from a platform under the banner: “Every Child Deserves a Mom and Dad.” The crowd, primarily adults, stood on muddy grass on the mall between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. Tour groups, including some on Segways, passed the group, and asked those on the periphery what the rally was about. A member of one family visiting Washington found out what was going on by looking it up on her smartphone. Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage and the

event’s first speaker, noted that all eyes were upon the country at this time. “I want begin with a word to those who disagree with us on this issue and may be watching us right now: We love you, we are your neighbors, and we want to be your friends, and we want you to be happy.” He continued: “Please understand that we don’t hate you, and that we are not motivated by animus or bigotry; it is not our intention to offend anyone, and if we have, I apologize; please try to listen to us fairly, and calmly, and try to understand us and our position, as we will try to do the same for you.”

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SEE MARRIAGE, PAGE 20

INDEX On the Street . . . . . . . . .4 National . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . .26


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March 29, 2013 by Catholic San Francisco - Issuu