In May 2005, Eugene resident Sharon Flynn gave birth to a child. She had been artificially inseminated with sperm from a donor who had signed away legal rights to the child. But when Flynn and her partner, Rebecca, tried to place a birth announcement in The Register-Guard, Eugene’s daily, family-owned newspaper, they found out that they couldn’t. It turned out that the Baker family only accepts announcements listing biological parents.
Flynn spoke about the discriminatory policy at a protest outside the paper’s headquarters Thursday to commemorate the passage of a year since the Flynns were denied the opportunity to share their joy. Some protesters canceled their subscriptions, and they presented a 180-signature petition asking the paper to change its policy.
Although newspapers are supposed to reflect the communities that they serve, The Register-Guard has stubbornly stuck to its policy. In a statement released today, managing editor Dave Baker used the sorry rationale that “if we publish in our announcements that two women, or two men, had a baby, many readers will fault us for inaccuracy.”
This is ridiculous. How many rational readers will become flustered because they think The Register-Guard is implying that two women miraculously conceived a child without sperm? It’s far more likely that conservative readers, including Baker family members, are offended by the idea of gay marriage.
The Register-Guard needs to admit its poor reasoning and publish announcements about all children, including those of same-sex and adoptive parents.
The Register-Guard should change announcement policy
Daily Emerald
May 11, 2006
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