Gary Trudeau, whom I consider to be a national treasure, has taken aim at the various proposals requiring women to undergo sonograms as a condition to having an abortion.
A number of newspapers have refused to run the strip, as explained below the fold.
Here is the article:
Initially, the article notes that:
Starting Monday, amid heated debate about pre-termination ultrasound and sonogram bills in Virginia and Texas, Trudeau, whose comic strip has about 1,400 clients, will tackle the politically sensitive issue of abortion head-on.
The result is that many newspaper editors have been weighing whether to run this week’s “Doonesbury.” The Oregonian in Portland is among at least several papers that won’t be running the series. In a note to readers Friday, the editors said Trudeau “went over the line of good taste and humor in penning a series on abortion using graphic language and images inappropriate for a comics page.” The paper is directing readers online if they want to read the strip.
The Associated Press reported that two Florida papers, the Gainesville Sun and the Ocala Star-Banner, have decided against running the strips as well.
The article includes a short interview with Trudeau, who explains his thinking:
I chose the topic of compulsory sonograms because it was in the news and because of its relevance to the broader battle over women’s health currently being waged in several states. For some reason, the GOP has chosen 2012 to re-litigate reproductive freedom, an issue that was resolved decades ago. Why [Rick] Santorum, [Rush] Limbaugh et al. thought this would be a good time to declare war on half the electorate, I cannot say. But to ignore it would have been comedy malpractice.
Also interesting are Trudeau's comments why he had not discussed abortion at length earlier:
Q: Going back through the history of the strip, I'm surprised not to see a previous abortion strip in “Doonesbury’s” dossier. Have you tackled abortion before?
A: No. Roe v. Wade was decided while I was still in school. Planned Parenthood was embraced by both parties. Contraception was on its way to being used by 99 percent of American women. I thought reproductive rights was a settled issue. Who knew we had turned into a nation of sluts?
Apparently, the arc will continue this week, if not longer. I encourage everyone to check it out (though it may be difficult in print).
No one is better than Trudeau at shining a satirical light at political absurdity.