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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1987)
„ Vol. 25 No. 7 Thursday, February 12, 1987 $12.00 Per Year Computer Is Friendly To Human Needs BY RITA MclNERNEY Advocates for the poor of all ages are plugging into a computer charting the General Assembly's attention to measures for human needs. This new Action Information Ministry (A.I.M.) is be ing offered by the Chris tian Council of Metro politan Atlanta through the office of Sister Kath leen Tomlin, C.S.J., as sociate for justice ministries. “I’m just in the begin ning stages of getting the glitches out,” Sister Tomlin said. She has about 15 consistent users including people work ing for the homeless, the food bank and the United Way. Just last week she sent out a mailing of 250 letters to congregations, groups and individuals in an effort to build a net work of informed people around the state. She feeds data on legislative action, or in action, into her AT&T computer daily, after making rounds at the state Capitol. Users of Sister Kathy Tomlin, C.S.J., at the computer. the computer informa tion system need a per sonal computer, modem and the special tele phone number which connects them to A.I.M. Users can leave messages in the com puter and Sister Tomlin can reply to their messages. An experi enced computer user, Sister Tomlin was not a programmer but is learning a lot since the program was started. It was made possible through a $50,000 grant from the Day Founda tion. There is no fee for plugging into the com puter but out-of-city users must pay long distance telephone rates. There are not many churches hooking into the information service because in general they are just beginning to use computers. Sister Tomlin said, and do not have modems. A modem is a device that lets one computer communicate with another computer through a telephone hookup. Sister Tomlin goes to the Capitol every day the legislature is in session to pick up the first readings of bills, look them over to see what (Continued on page 8) Turin Shroud Exhibit Needs Home BY CHRIS VALLEY By Easter Sunday, the Shroud of Turin Exhibit must vacate its CNN Center (formerly known as Omni Interna tional) home. The exhibit and study center has been in full time operation exclusively in Atlanta since November 1982. “Here is something Atlanta has which no other city in the world has,” explains Rev. Albert (Kim) Dreisbach Jr., an Episcopalian priest who directs the center which is incor porated as the Atlanta International Center for Continuing Study of the Shroud of Turin. The center is the world’s most complete public exhibit and repository for research publications and scientific analyses of the famed Shroud of Turin, according to Father Dreisbach. “I would hate to think that Atlanta, which bills itself as an international city, could not continue to have an exhibit worthy of international interest,” Father Dreisbach con tinues. The Shroud of Turin is claimed by popular tradition to be the cloth in which Jesus was wrapped when He was buried. Since 1578, it has been kept in a repository in the Cathedral of Turin, Italy. Long an object of controversy, the Shroud is described as a three-foot-six-inch wide by fourteen-foot long linen cloth of herringbone weave, slightly ivory in color. It contains the image of a scourged and crucified man. The first specific reference to the existence of the Shroud itself was in 1354. At the time it was in the possession of Geoffrey de Charny, a Frenchman who was a descendant of one of the Knights Templar, a military order which flourished during the time of the Crusades. However, earlier evidence of its existence, through depiction in religious art, dates back to the fifth and sixth centuries. In 1453, the Shroud came into the possession of the House of Savoy. It was moved to Turin, Italy, in 1578, and now is housed in the cathedral there. Generally it is on public display only two or three times every century. Italy’s late King Umberto II (of the House of Savoy) willed the Shroud to the Vatican. He died in 1983. At the time of its most recent public display (1978), the Shroud was subject to the most rigorous scientific examina tion ever performed on it. A team of 40 U.S. scientists used space-age technology to analyze the imprint on the cloth. They were able to see a detailed three-dimensional image (Continued on page 6) Bill Seeks To Inform Parents Of Abortion BY GRETCHEN REISER A bill that would require that a parent or guardian be notified that a daughter under the age of 18 is seeking an abortion has been introduced into the Georgia Senate. Supported by pro-life organizations, the bill would re quire that an unemancipated minor (any person under the age of 18 who is not married and has never been married) would have to obtain a notarized statement signed by the mother, father or guardian declaring that the parent or guardian has been notified of the minor's decision to seek an abortion. If the teenager decides not to notify her parents, she may petition the juvenile court in her county or in the county in which the abortion is to be performed. If the court decides that the child is mature and well-informed enough to make the decision it may decide in favor of the abortion. The court hearing will be required to take place within three days in order to ensure that lengthy delays are not incur red. Countering charges that a parental notification bill would be found unconstitutional, Sheila Mallon of the arch diocesan Pro-Life Office, said that the bill was modeled on legislation in other states that has survived court challenges. She also argued that one benefit of the bill, if adopted into law, would be to provide a support for teenagers who want to resist peer pressure to be sexually active, but are left with virtually no support by society, Knowing that they would have to face their parents if they became pregnant gives teens “something to use as far as peer pressure goes,” Mrs. Mallon said. “A lot of kids don't want to be involved sexually. This gives them an out.” (Continued on page 8) Laurie Slagle Dies; Lived Pro-Life Views BY GRETCHEN REISER Laurie Slagle, whose quiet faith led her through the pregnancy and birth of her son, Jonathan, despite a diagnosis of cancer, died Saturday, Feb. 7 at a hospital in Griffin. She was 38 years old. The wife of Tom Slagle, a permanent deacon at Sacred Heart parish in Griffin, and the mother of 11 children, Mrs. Slagle came to widespread public attention in 1985 when their youngest child, Jonathan, was born. At that time it came to light that the Slagles had had to go to court early in the pregnancy in order to win permission for Laurie to have chemotherapy treatment. Her affliction with a severe form of cancer was not discovered until she was pregnant with Jonathan and then she was strongly encouraged to have an abortion. When the Slagles repeatedly refused to abort the baby, Mrs. Slagle was denied chemotherapy because of possible damage to the child. The permission was later granted in DeKalb Superior Court, following a hearing in which an attorney was appointed to represent the unborn child. Jonathan was born in September, 1985, a healthy baby, (Continued on page 10) I Wfcevter loves ODD 1 John 4 21 1 must also love fis mqiftoor
