Pro-life columnists: voices in the wilderness.

Cal Thomas has been a friend of the pro-life movement for many years. With a syndicated op-ed column that appears in over 540 newspapers nationwide, he is a widely read advocate for the unborn child. When Cal called me recently to tell me that the Cincinnati Enquirer had dropped his column in favor of a pro-abortion columnist, you can understand why both Cal and I were disturbed by the paper's action.

Prior to replacing Cal's column, the Enquirer had replaced an editor who had been very sympathetic to the pro-life movement. Cal was concerned that his voice would no longer be heard in the Cincinnati area and the impact that could have on issues such as ours. Replacing a sympathetic editor didn't help our cause either.

Will the Enquirer's action develop into a trend? I hope not.

What happens at one paper could indicate the beginning of a trend or could be an isolated case. To ensure the existence of a pro-life voice in the community and to continue to have columnists like Cal Thomas, it is important that we tell local papers (and radio/ television stations) when we like the commentators they feature and that columns like Cal's are one of the first things we look for when we open the paper in the morning.

Syndicated columnists (and talk show hosts) have the coverage they do because a paper gets a positive response from readers.

A newspaper will purchase a column from a syndication company only if it feels it is of interest to its readers. The newspaper will continue carrying ...