BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
ERLANGER -- The Diocese of Covington may cancel a May 15 orphanage benefit at which Gov. Paul Patton is scheduled to speak because of his recent veto of abortion-related legislation.
Bishop Robert W. Muench, who supported the legislation Mr. Patton vetoed last week, will likely decide by Friday whether he will cancel the benefit for the Diocesan Catholic Children's Home in Fort Mitchell, diocese spokesman the Rev. Tom Sacksteder said Tuesday.
"There is no real conclusion about the dinner," the Rev. Sacksteder said following a 90-minute meeting of Bishop Muench and members of the home's executive committee. "It's under review," he added. Bishop Muench was not available for comment after the meeting, held at the Catholic Center on Donaldson Road in Erlanger.
Mr. Patton's spokesman, Mark Pfieffer, said the governor would not have a comment until a decision was made.
The diocese and Bishop Muench began reviewing the situation after receiving calls in recent days from Roman Catholic church members and others in Northern Kentucky complaining about Mr. Patton's veto of a so-called informed-consent abortion bill. "There was no outcry about the governor," the Rev. Sacksteder said. "But there was an outcry . . . about the veto."
The Rev. Sacksteder did not give an exact figure on how many calls the diocese received, saying only "there were a number of calls." He added that Northern Kentucky Right to Life -- a politically active anti-abortion group that has clashed with the diocese in the past -- did not appear to be involved in the protest.
The group's president, Covington attorney Robert Cetrulo, is out of the country, according to a woman who answered the phone at his law office.
The Rev. Sacksteder pointed out that Bishop Muench and the state's three other Roman Catholic bishops testified before a legislative committee in February in favor of the informed consent and other bills sponsored by lawmakers opposed to abortion.
"Demonstrate your respect for life and for women by supporting" the bills, Bishop Muench urged a Senate committee Feb. 18.
The bill at the center of the dispute was sponsored by Rep. Katie Stine, a Fort Thomas Republican. It mandates that a woman wait 24 hours between scheduling and receiving an abortion, and it requires that the abortion clinic provide the woman with information about the procedure, including alternatives to abortion and depictions of a fetus.
The bill passed the Kentucky General Assembly in March but was vetoed by Mr. Patton on April 7. Last week, the legislature overrode Mr. Patton's veto and, pending an expected court challenge, it will become law July 15.
Mr. Patton has previously said he vetoed the bill because it "infringes upon the rights of individuals to make decisions which are guaranteed under the . . . United States Constitution to be both free and private."
"Kentucky state government should not force a burdensome waiting period accompanied by state-mandated propaganda on our citizens prior to any private decision, whether it be a matter related to choosing one's religious beliefs, choosing a system of education, choosing a partner in marriage or choosing to undergo any type of medical procedure," he said.
About six of the home's executive committee members emerged from the meeting with Bishop Muench frustrated, yet understanding of the diocese's position.
"The bishop and the diocese are trying to make what they see as the right call here," said executive committee and board member Bruce Kozerski of Edgewood. "They're reviewing it and haven't made a decision yet. We understand their position . . . but we also want to hold this dinner. It's for the kids."
The dinner celebrating the home's 150th anniversary was expected to raise as much as $50,000. Though operated by the diocese, the home receives the bulk of its funding from the state and from private contributions.
About 350 tickets have been sold for the event, scheduled for May 15 at the Holiday Inn Airport in Erlanger.
Though known as an orphanage, many of the 30 or so children who live and attend school there are suffering from physical or emotional abuse.
"A lot of kids had to be taken away from their homes, and they stay with us until we try to reunite them with their family or with a foster family or they are adopted," said Sister Jean Marie Hoffman, the home's administrator.
