Paper to Publish Apology for Editorial Seen as Racist

The Philadelphia Inquirer, stung by charges of racism over an editorial suggesting that more poor women should use contraceptives, will take the unusual step of publishing an apology in its Sunday editions.

“I think maybe the best thing to say about it now is it is an apology and it’s a change of position,” Inquirer Editor Maxwell E. P. King said Friday.

The Inquirer printed an editorial on Dec. 12 suggesting that the contraceptive Norplant, a long-lasting hormonal implant that was recently approved by the federal government, could help solve the problem of poverty among blacks.

The editorial said: “As we read those two stories (about Norplant and a report of the number of black children living in poverty) we asked ourselves: Dare we mention them in the same breath? To do so might be considered deplorably insensitive, perhaps raising the specter of eugenics. But it would be worse to avoid drawing the logical conclusion that foolproof contraception could be invaluable in breaking the cycle of inner-city poverty--one of America’s greatest challenges.”

The editorial acknowledged better prenatal care and better schools as possible solutions to the problem. But it said that “it’s very tough to undo the damage of being born into a dysfunctional family. So why not make a major effort to reduce the number of children, of any race, born into such circumstances?”

It went on to suggest that incentives be given to welfare mothers to use Norplant.

Some staff members responded angrily. Inquirer columnists Steve Lopez and Claude Lewis, who is black, criticized the editorial in print as offensive.

King said that editors were still working on the apology Friday.

“My feeling about this whole process is that ultimately it can be good for the paper,” he said. “This has engendered a wide, passionate discussion within the paper about the need for diversity throughout the paper.”