Kinder, Gentler Abortion Clinics

BREAKPOINT, October — Writing in the October edition of the newsletter Breakpoint, prison evangelist Charles Colson described a kinder, gentler type of abortion clinic that is springing up — one that seems to take lessons from Catholic attempts to help post-abortive women heal.

These new abortion businesses, which for some reason call themselves the “November Gang,” line their walls “with pink paper hearts containing heartfelt messages from parents to their aborted children.”

A journal in the waiting room contains notes written by family members, and “at the end of every pre-abortion counseling session, the patient is given a pretty, colorful stone to take with her” in lieu of her baby.

Glamour —which like most women's magazines has a strong, official pro-abortion stance — wrote glowingly of the clinics in its September issue, noting that they offer “intensive counseling.”

The magazine gave a flavor of this counseling by noting that counselors answer questions about sin and forgiveness. Questions like, “Do you think there are any things that God considers completely unforgivable?”

Clinic employees also suggest to patients, “Can you see abortion as a ‘loving act’ toward your children and yourself?” Colson reported that some of the mothers improvise baptismal ceremonies for their children at the clinic.

Settlement Reached in Boston Abuse Cases

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 20 — Plaintiffs for hundreds of victims of alleged abuse by clergy in the Boston Archdiocese have reached agreement with the local Church, signing an $85 million settlement for their cases, reports the Associated Press.

Boston's is now the largest such settlement ever in a U.S. diocese.

Plaintiff attorney Mitchell Garabedian, submitted 114 signed agreements to Church attorneys Oct. 20, bringing the ratio of plaintiffs agreeing to settle above 80% — the magic number at which the archdiocese begins to disburse payments.

Roderick MacLeish Jr., an attorney speaking for nearly half of the 552 victims, said he expected only 10 plaintiffs to take their cases to trial. The amounts paid to each victim will be determined by mediators, depending on the gravity of each case.

Catholic League Targets Anti-Gibsonism

CATHOLIC LEAGUE, October — The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is keeping a tally of “some of the most unfair statements on Mel Gibson and his film, The Passion of Christ.”

Among other things, the list reveals that a handful of critics are showing up in a lot of media complaining about the film.

Paula Fredriksen in The New Republic, Sept. 29 — “I am still counting on the people in the pew who, when they view Gibson's movie, will not recognize any Gospel known to them.”

Paula Fredriksen in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Aug. 21 —“There is no plot, no character development, no subtlety. The bad guys are way bad, the good guys are way good.”

Sister Mary Boys in the Associated Press, Aug. 8 — “For too many years, Christians have accused Jews of being Christ-killers and used that charge to rationalize violence … This is our fear.”

Sister Mary Boys in The Jewish Week, March 28 — “As a member of the Catholic Church, I regard [Gibson's] thinking as bizarre and dangerous, and suggest that Jews judge them similarly.”

The Web site, www.catholicleague.org, begins the feature with the most recent example they have found — a quote Barbara Nicolosi included in her recent Register article about the movie and controversy.