Judge's order cancels event that would have blocked sole entrance to a Kansas abortion clinic
Source: Associated Press
Judge’s order cancels event that would have blocked sole entrance to a Kansas abortion clinic
Updated 4:28 PM EDT, October 7, 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A demonstration planned by a Roman Catholic diocese in Kansas that would have blocked the only entrance to a Wichita abortion clinic on Saturday was canceled after a judge put a hold on the city permit that would have allowed it.
Earlier this year, the Catholic Diocese of Wichita was granted a permit through the city’s Parks and Recreation and police departments to close the street in front of the Trust Women clinic, the Wichita Eagle reported. The diocese had planned to hold a “Mass for Life” demonstration Saturday morning that would have blocked the entrance to the clinic while leaving open the entrance to another clinic on the street that seeks to dissuade people from getting abortions.
A judge on Friday granted a request for a temporary restraining order until the Wichita City Council holds a hearing to address objections to the street closure from the Trust Women clinic and another nearby business. The clinic is normally closed for business on Saturdays but sometimes opens for appointments on weekends, as well as works on administrative and cleaning tasks on Saturdays, the Eagle reported.
Operators of the Trust Women clinic said they learned of the planned street closure last month and filed an objection with the city. When no hearing was called to address objections to the permit, the clinic sought the restraining order.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-clinic-demonstration-canceled-kansas-ad52ceefb092cba1062b028c3f863e64
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I'm not Catholic, and I don't recognize the Catholic Church as having any authority over the way I live my life. I'm not interested in the Pope's opinion on abortion, birth control, who should have sex with whom, or really just about anything.
The same goes for every other religious body that I don't belong to. They have the right to believe whatever they want, and they have the right to enjoin adherence to those beliefs on their members. They DO NOT have the right to enforce adherence to their beliefs on anyone else, either by pushing for the passage of laws based on those beliefs or by other means, including blocking access to public facilities that don't adhere to their beliefs. The fact that some religious bodies (including but not limited to the Catholic Church) seem to think they have that right is deeply offensive to me. 
PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a religion bashing post, and I hope it won't be taken that way. I don't hate religion as a concept and I don't hate any particular religious groups. I recognize and support freedom of religon: i.e., the right to worship/practice the religion of one's choice, OR NONE, as the case may be. I support the rights of all to believe or NOT believe in a Supreme Being or deities of any kind, and I whole-heartedly support the rights of all to NOT believe in any such beings. All I am saying is that religious groups need to STAY IN THEIR OWN DAMNED LANE and leave the rest of us the hell alone.
