The editor of The Mercury newspaper in KwaZulu-Natal defended his decision not to place an advert from pro-life organisation, Christians for Truth, saying that ”the paper encourages debate”.
Editor David Canning was responding to accusations by the organisation that The Mercury, a member of the Independent Newspapers stable, denied anti-abortionists a voice by refusing to publish an advertisement in the newspapers.
The advertisement was placed on Friday to mark the sixth anniversary of legal abortion on demand in South Africa. The advertisement, featuring text only with no pictures, read: ”Baby Jane — Tragically killed by abortion in January 2003. Christians for Truth mourns the 265 398 lives lost in the six-year holocaust of legal abortions on demand since 1 February 1997. ‘They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters’ …Psalm 106:38 … May God have mercy on South Africa. For further info contact 032-481-5512.”
Canning said that it was ”not a question of censorship” and that in principle the newspaper had nothing against running pro-life advertisements. However, the positioning of the advertisements in the death notices column had been judged out of context and insensitive. The language of the advertisements should be ”in good taste, reasoned and temperate”.
A representative for Christians for Truth, Janetta Combrink, said the group was considering further action against the newspaper, including taking the matter up with the press ombudsman or other relevant agencies.
Combrink said similar adverts were placed throughout the country, with for example the Natal Witness running the advert on Saturday and the Zulu-language Ilanga running the advert on Monday.
”We want to make sure that pro-life voices are also heard in South African papers,” she said.
An independent internet news service, Life News, which reports on pro-life and abortion issues, came out in support of Christians for Truth.
In an editorial, the service said in an e-mail message that ”it was ironic and hypocritical that Independent Newspapers, which protested bitterly against apartheid-era newspaper censorship is now censoring the pro-life viewpoint”.
Meanwhile, the office of the South African Press Ombudsman said it had received no written complaint yet. The Advertising Standards Authority said the acceptance of advertising was at the discretion of the publication and the authority could only deal with a complaint lodged about the content once the advertisement was placed.
The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1996, which allows for abortion on request for all women over the age of 16 in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and first 20 weeks in certain cases, came into effect on February 1, 1997. – Sapa