January 23, 1973

GM on Jan 22 recalls 3.7 million '71 and '72 full-size Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile models to install shield at bottom of cars to keep gravel from bouncing into steering mechanism; insists trouble is rare and rejected idea of recall in '72; recd repts of 96 incidents allegedly tied to problem; says 23 accidents occurred and 12 persons were injured because of jammed steering mechanism; recall is 1 of largest but does not match recall of 6.7 million GM cars in '71 or 4.4 million Fords last June to correct safety defects; R Nader has criticized GM for its failure to recall cars to correct steering problem, and Natl Hwy Traffic Safety Adm issued consumer warning bulletin last Aug; GM says it does not believe safety hazard is serious but offers to repair cars without charge; says it has no repts of deaths resulting from accidents; estimates each installation will cost about $3

Cardinal Cooke calls ruling 'shocking' and 'horrifying'; Cardinal Krol calls decision 'unspeakable tragedy for this nation'; birth control advocate W Baird says decision is 'triumph' that culminated long struggle; Planned Parenthood Fed of Amer pres Dr A F Guttmacher says decision is 'wise and courageous stroke for right to privacy'; decision is also welcomed by Rev Dr H E Spragg, exec vp of Bd of Homeland Mins of United Ch of Christ; women lawyers from Center for Const Rights praises Ct's action as victory for women's liberation movement

Iceland: Volcano on island of Heimaey, Iceland, dormant for over 1,000 yrs, erupts, forcing evacuation of 7,000 residents; police authorities say boats and planes are being used to evacuate inhabitants of Vestmannaeyjar to safety on mainland; rept hail of ash from volcano of Helgafell is making operations from island's airstrip dif ficult; rept stream of molten lava also threatens to seal off harbor, trapping boats; note lava is flowing away from town, into Atlantic, but that situation could change at any time; rept nation's fishing fleet, Coast Guard vessels and other merchant ships have been ordered to island; rept small earthquake on Jan 22 heralded eruption; telephoned repts to Reykjavik say fissure 2-3,000 yds long opened and is spewing out lava and ash; USAF has reptdly promised to sendhelicopters; map

Royal Jordanian Airlines: Chartered Boeing 707 owned by Royal Jordanian Airlines with 202 passengers aboard--mostly Nigerian Moslems returning from pilgrimage to Mecca-crashes during landing at fog-shrouded airport in Kano, Nigeria, on Jan 22 killing 180, worst air crash in history of civil aviation; witnesses describe crash; pilot and other crew members reptdly are among survivors; other similar crashes listed; map of craft's route from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to Kano, Nigeria

US Sup Ct, 7-2, on Jan 22 overrules all state laws that prohibit or restrict woman's right to obtain an abortion during 1st 3 mos of pregnancy; Ct, in historic resolution of controversial abortion issue, drafts new set of guidelines that will result in broadly liberalized anti-abortion laws in 46 states but will not abolish restrictions completely; establishes detailed timetable for relative legal rights of pregnant women and states that will control their acts; specifies that for 1st 3 mos of pregnancy, decision to have abortion lies with woman and her dr, for next 6 mos of pregnancy state may 'regulate abortion procedure in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health and for last 10 wks of pregnancy, period during which fetus is judged to be capable of surviving if born, any state may prohibit abortions, except where they may be necessary to preserve life or health of mother; Ct action will not affect existing laws in NY, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington, where abortions are legally available; basic Texas case decided by Ct will invalidate strict anti-abortion laws in 31 states; 2d decision involving Ga will require considerable rewriting of more liberal statutes in 15 others; Justice Blackmun wrote majority opinion in which Chief Justice Burger and Justices Douglas, Brennan, Stewart, Marshall and Powell joined; Justices White and Rehnquist dissented; White calls decision 'exercise of raw judicial power'; Ct's decision opposes Pres Nixon's views, expressed in lr to 'Cardinal Cooke last May; majority of justices reject idea that fetus becomes 'person' upon conception and is entitled to due process and equal protection guarantees of Const; in decisions on Ga and Texas cases, plaintiffs based their protest on assertion that state laws limiting availability of abortion had circumscribed rights and freedoms guaranteed them by Const: due process of law, equal protection of laws, freedom of action and privacy involving personal and family matter; cases described