Free speech and the academic paper mill
An academic journal has reversed course and rejected an article about abortion that it initially accepted, citing concerns about the author being a “white” “male,” according to an email from the editor obtained by The College Fix.
The article “Abortion Restrictions are Good for Black Women” by philosopher Perry Hendricks initially was accepted for publication earlier this year in The New Bioethics. However, the journal’s editors put it on hold after an abstract received criticism on social media.
Now, Hendricks told The Fix the journal has rejected it.
Editor Matthew James told Hendricks in a May 23 email that the journal rescinded its decision to publish his piece after a second peer review process, according to screenshots of the email Hendricks shared with The Fix.
Due to a publisher’s technical error, James told Hendricks he did not read the article before it was accepted, as is the standard process. He apologized on behalf of the publisher.
After reviewing the paper, James wrote he has “significant concerns” about its “academic quality and rigour” that revisions could not fix.
