New York Mayor to March With Eye on Change

DAILY NEWS, Jan. 21— New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in spite of previous indications that he might skip events that prohibit the participation of homosexual groups, the New York daily reported.

“The mayor believes the best way to change an organization is to do so from within,” said his press secretary.

New York's Cardinal Edward Egan will lead the March 16 parade, which is dedicated to the “Heroes of 9/11.” Many of the firefighters, policemen and rescue workers killed on Sept. 11 were Irish-American Catholics.

Catholic League president William Donohue called Bloomberg's interest in marching so he can change the will of the parade's organizers “manipulative.”

“If he wants to march … fine. But he should do so by respecting the house rules of the parade's organizers,” Donohue said in a statement. Homosexuals “are treated the same way pro-life Catholics are treated: both are banned from marching under their own banner but neither is excluded from marching, per se.”

ACLU Calls for Abortion in Catholic Hospitals

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Jan. 22— A renewed call for Catholic hospitals to allow or provide information on abortion and contraception is a thinly disguised attempt of pro-abortion organizations to press their agenda, said Father Michael Place, president of the Catholic Health Association.

Father Place was responding to calls from the American Civil Liberties Union and an Albany, N.Y.-based group called MergerWatch to ease restrictions on emergency abortions and contraceptive procedures for rape victims.

“Their ultimate objective is that abortion be on demand in every hospital in the United States,” Father Place told Associated Press. “They will pick whatever method will contribute incrementally to that goal.”

The ACLU and MergerWatch issued reports urging politicians to threaten Catholic facilities with funding cutoffs, saying many patients are covered by Medicaid and Medicare.

Father Place countered, “There's no rule that any hospital that receives government funds should provide every service.”

Pro-Life Leader ‘Furious’ About Ad Denial

AMERICAN LIFE LEAGUE, Jan. 22— American Life League president Judie Brown was “furious” that The Washington Times “caved” to a legal threat from Catholics for a Free Choice if the paper ran a League ad criticizing the pro-abortion group.

According to a league press release, the Washington daily initially approved the ad, scheduled to run Jan. 22. But after the league unveiled it, lawyers for Catholics for a Free Choice threatened legal action against the paper and the league.

“I find it amazing that a fanatical fringe organization such as Catholic for a Free Choice could intimidate The Washington Times, which— until now— had consistently deflected countless liberal challenges to its mission of presenting the truth,” Brown said.

The Free Choice group recently sponsored ads in Washington's Metro and bus system criticizing Catholic bishops for the Church's opposition to condom use.

Kidnap Case Leads to Call to Boycott Yahoo

THE RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, Jan. 13 — A 38-year-old Virginia man was arrested after he allegedly used a Yahoo online club in the abduction of a 13-year-old girl from Pittsburgh. The man advertised himself as a “master.”

The girl was found tied up but unharmed in the bedroom of Scott Tyree, a divorced computer programmer from Herndon, Va., the Virginia daily reported.

The American Family Association, in a press release, called for a boycott of Yahoo, saying the Internet service provider has refused to eliminate pornography clubs even after a similar case last year involving a Yahoo club. Yahoo also has an online group called Satan's School for Girls.