Panel to Decide Abortion-Ad Policy : Student Ruling for SDSU Paper Should Settle Controversy

A committee of Daily Aztec editors and managers will establish an advertising policy that should settle a controversy over whether the San Diego State University student newspaper will accept abortion ads, a campus group voted Wednesday.

The SDSU Publications Authority, which functions as publisher, voted to establish the seven-person committee, which will create the newspaper’s first-ever official advertising policy.

A controversy arose last month when Editor-in-Chief Jon Petersen, acting on his own authority, decided that the newspaper would no longer accept advertising for “abortion-related services.”

Petersen’s decision created dissent within the staff and brought protests from the Womancare Clinic, leading to the Publications Authority’s action. Under the guidelines established by the group, Petersen, the managing editor, two city editors, the opinion editor, the advertising manager and the assistant advertising manager will have to pound out an ad policy by Sept. 29. The policy will have to conform with SDSU and California State University policies.

Reviewing Policy Annually

A committee composed of people filling the same editorial and advertising positions will review the policy annually, before the fall semester.

Although Petersen appointed all the committee members, except the assistant advertising manager, he expressed uncertainty over whether they will support his position against the abortion ads. Meanwhile, the ban will remain in effect.

“I think this (committee) will work. . . . If the publications board wants me to implement a policy that this committee comes up with, that’s my job,” Petersen said.

He said he will implement the committee’s advertising policy, even if it means accepting abortion ads. “I’m pleased it will still be the students making the policy,” said Petersen, who added that he was concerned for a while that the Publications Authority would impose its own policy on the paper.

Petersen called the timing of the board’s action “unfortunate,” because some would perceive the group’s move as “power that was being taken away from me.”

Two weeks ago, Womancare Clinic sent a letter to companies that advertise in the Daily Aztec, asking them to pull their ads if the publications board supported Petersen’s anti-abortion stand. Womancare, which calls itself a “feminist women’s health center,” provides abortion services.

On Wednesday, Petersen said four businesses, including Womancare, had pulled their ads because of the paper’s stand on abortion ads. However, Daily Aztec staff members said two other clinics that also perform abortions did not pull their ads. Instead, the clinics, which also offer women’s health services, removed reference to abortion from the ads.