021879 Newspaper's 'about-face' on abortion, astounds, delights Ohio right-to-lifers; ,

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio - Pro-lifers in this community near Cleveland say they are still "in shock" because the local daily newspaper has called for a "rethinking" of society's liberal attitude toward abortion.

But James K. Collins, editor of the Willoughby News-Herald, said he did not know, why the pro-lifers were surprised by his newspaper's editorial against abortion. "The editorial doesn't reflect any sort of turn-around by the newspaper on the issue," he said.

NEVERTHELESS, the Right to Life of Lake County, in its newsletter, said the editorial had shown the newspaper's "apparent. about-face" on the issue,

"It's amazing," said Lou Fidanza, president of the pro-life organization: ".Just two years 'ago they '(the' News Herald) wouldn't. even print our ads with scientific information about the unborn." Collins, editor since 1967, said he was unaware of any decision by the newspaper to refuse publishing the group's advertisement.

COLLINS INSISTED that the editorial did not reflect "a new position" by the newspaper. He did say there had been criticism of a pregnancy counseling series published a few years ago. Jean Aylsworth, editor of the pro-life newsletter, said the News-Herald's series on the Birthright program had been "a hatchet job."

Headed, "Causes for rethinking attitudes on abortion," the editorial said:

"Two recent occurrences, the birth of a baby in San Diego and a symposium held in Chicago. have provided potent new ammunition for the battle against abortion."

The baby referred to is Mignon Faulkner, born four months premature last November.

"That Mignon has survived even this long is a tribute to the medical profession It is also an indictment of abortion of infants whose time in the womb is comparable to Mignon's.

THE EDITORIAL also said the Faulkner baby's survival "is living proof that an infant at an age when many people contend it is nothing more than a tumor, an unfortunate growth in a woman's body,' is in fact a human being with the ability to survive if given the chance."

Discussing the Chicago symposium on the psychological aspects of abortion, the editorial stated:

"Evidence was presented indicating that abortion is not only bad for the unborn, but it can also be bad for women who experience abortion, for children and for society at large."

The editorial also quoted a Canadian "authority" at the symposium who had said permissive abortion decreased the "social taboo against aggressing the defenseless."

IN A RELATED incident, the editor of the Dayton Journal Herald recently stated in a column that his newspaper had overlooked the sanctity of life issue, and "that, I think, is the overriding concern which our editorials must take into account from this point on."

Pro-life leader Fidanza said the press was slowly moving to the pro-life position. "People may not be openly prolife, but. they are having lots of doubts," he said.