Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for March 12, 2012

GT fires the shot across the bow…

This must be in Virginia.

Oh, good. The Miami Herald editors still have balls.

I’ve seen coverage of the controversy surrounding this weeks strips. The whole week was described in advance. GT is just getting warmed up.

@Aulus, how do u get your Miami Herald so early? Mine doesn’t come (North Miami) until 6 AM.

I’ve been waiting for this arc – I heard so much about it and even though I stopped following Doonesbury on GoComics because reading the comments took so much time, I’m gonna follow it this week.

Let’s try to predict how many comments there will be, outside of the usual troll snipers. My guess is 83 (I hope!).

I like the scarlet letter on the clipboard.

Hi Mr Trudeau from a longtime British reader, thank you for standing up for decent values and people’s rights. I hope the censorship of your work makes it even more widely known and read and I urge everyone to use social media to spread this week’s strip as widely as possible.

It’s a woman’s right to choose and it’s fine for me as a taxpayer to foot the bill. I’ve paid for the pointless never ending Republican blood for oil war so why not? It sure as heck beats what woman had to go through in the old days with quack doctors. I love the separation of church and state a lot.

I fought this fight once, ain’t gonna do it again. Next generation refused to learn from what happened to mine. Fine, deal with the consequences then.

To paraphrase a line from “West Wing”: The Republicans want small government. Apparently, they want to make it just small enough to fit inside a woman’s uterus!

The point is, the people who are trying to decide what a woman can or cannot do with her own body are only MEN.

More power to your elbow Mr Trudeau.

I saw a woman wearing a t-shirt that read, “If I wanted the gov’t in my womb I’d fuck a senator.”

Taking on topics like these are what leads many papers to move Doonesbury to the editorial page which seems fine to me, but I would hope papers would do that rather than censor the strip completely. I’m curious to see how many papers censor vs. run it.

Oops, sorry about the f-bomb.

Ashburn Stadium, Look it up. The ones who sent in the Federal marshals.

Senator in the shaming room ? The Daddy?

As a conservative woman, here is the answer to why. Liberals have been conditioned to think that there should be no consequences for their actions, especially when it comes to gratification. The ultrasound is to counter the brainwashing that occurs in schools and media that there are no ramifications from abortion, that it is just as normal to kill a fetus as it is to visit the dentist for an annual checkup.Abortion as a form of birth control is reprehensible. It should only be used in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger.Keep up your cute and clever little slogans. Just don’t pause to ponder on the realities of abortion.

My paper, Courier News from Central NJ, carried a rerun instead of this one. I guess it was a little to topical on wrong side for the editors.

Havng been a cop for 35 years, I have had to deal with individuals that should never have been born. So I am also in favor of retro-abortions. “Johnny, we’re going to do what your mother should have done (insert age) years ago.”

I’ve always found it fascinating that people in favor of abortions would be against capital punishment.

For isn’t it true that in either procedure, innocent beings are killed?

IMHO abortion is an issue that the woman involved has to deal with and a bunch of politicians need to keep out of her personal decision.

Yes Heidi, you should absolutely be the one to make the decisions for everyone else because of of course yours is the only opinion that counts, right???

I love the republican motto – keep government small and out of my life – Except when it has to do with my genitals.

We’re arguing this in Pennsylvania now. The local paper chose not to run this strip today because they felt it ’s too controversal and ran an altrernate. Talk about censorship of the media, and self-censorship because it does not meet “their” views. The media should display all views “warts and all”. To do otherwise is a diservice to the public which it serves.

Ahh yes, “The Scarlet Letter”

Wheee. Smack ’em. Just because by the age of four everybody has opinions, we should shut off the stupids from having any voice in public policy. No reason that mental children in adult clothes should have ANY voice in policy.Just being able to mouth words, wrongwingers, does not make you worthy of being considered capable adults. Yes, Virginia, and your 28 atavistic blowhard stupidstate reeps, I mean YOU.

“I do believe an abortion shouldn’t be performed after the second month. A woman has had ample time to become aware of her condition and has had enough time to make a choice.” What planet do you live on? Many women, and I mean many, do not know they are pregnant in the first month, and it many states, with all the red tape, it takes longer than a month to get an abortion.

This strip is why GoComics got my patronage. The AJC refused to run Doonesbury last year during the McGinniss quotes. I dropped the AJC and started reading GoComics.

Doonesbury is getting printed today in Danish newspapers :-) How long do educated women stay silent in the US. Old men talking and legislating about a woman’s body, it is with horror and disbelief I follow the American news cycle. People are struggling and starving in the US and GOP candidates are talking abortion and contraception. Good luck from Copenhagen, Denmark. The country with a free and uncensored press.

Sometimes it seems there’s no way to win against Christians. Strips like this keep people talking while they would otherwise have us ignore how they try and often succeed in making this their exclusive Holy Land instead of what it’s really supposed to be, a free America for everyone.

How about a law against killing animals in order to eat them? A goat has more feelings, more intelligence, more emotion, than a zygote. Unless, of course, you happen to subscribe to the notion of an immaterial, spiritual entity called the soul, that the fertilization of a human egg by a human sperm is fundamentally different from the fertilization of other kinds of eggs by other kinds of sperms, because in the human case, and that God implants a soul in the zygote, and it instantly becomes a thing superior to all other living things. And the willful destruction of that zygote is no different from the killing of walking, talking human being. If you believe all that, then you certainly ought not to have an abortion, nor risk the creating of a zygote unless you are also prepared to raise a child. If you are not prepared to raise a child, then, you ought to remain celibate. But most people in this world simply don’t believe such religious doctrines, for religious doctrines they are. Imposing your standards on others in this case is no different from imposing the rest of your religious beliefs upon others. Most Muslim countries don’t forbid people to eat during Ramadan days, nor forbid pork or alcohol being consumed (especially by non-Muslims), though pious Muslims do neither. If abortion is legalized murder, so is fur, so is meat, so is war, so is hunting, so is capital punishment. When someone takes a stand against all of the above, as the Jains do, that person respect.

I feel bad for the staragram; it’s suffering a slow death; dumb decision

Fort Worth S-T is afraid its readers are too delicate to read about procedures forced on women.

May I decode Heidi Tentee’s comments? It’s all about control.

“have been conditioned to think that there should be no consequences for their actions, especially when it comes to gratification”

This is referring to women only. It drives the patriarchy stark raving mad to think it possible for women to enjoy sex apart from procreation. That’s why one hears very little talk about men — who theoretically can impregnate daily, if not more often — and their responsibility. Besides, boys will be boys, right?

Therefore, if a woman is brazen enough to have sex outside of marriage, then she Shall Pay, preferably with an enforced pregnancy.

As for that old red herring — abortion as birth control? Sure women are lining up for abortions, since it is so much easier and less painful than any other kind of birth control. Three different types of birth control in my case resulted in three live births. In my case, I chose to give birth. Under different circumstances, I would have chosen, however emotionally painful it would have been, to end my pregnancy. My choice.

If those most vociferously vocal against abortion were acting out of a respect for life, then they would be more activist when it comes to contraceptives. But no, for them, pregnancy is a woman’s punishment for sexual activity.

So pathetic that we’re still having this discourse in the 21st century.

Aaaand, I had to go online to read this. The Akron Beacon Journal has no balls.

Anyone notice the red “A” on the clipboard?

The Oregonian dropped the strip this week, so I will be checking it out on-line. By doing so, the debate and readership is forced on-line and to a larger audience. Maybe GT had this in mind when he created this week’s strip. He’s a genius either way.

Uh, huh. So the pro-death libs leap to the defense of this outrageous and venal strip. Listen: do the research. Find out when a child becomes viable in the womb. Then take another look at abortion. It kills children; it does not remove blobs of non-human matter. When the original abortion laws were written, not much was known about the viability of children in the womb. Now, as the arrogant and vulgar Mr. Trudeau should know, it has literally become the principal sacrament of the church of liberalism. Disgusting, vulgar, and anachronistic—pick one or all to describe Mr. Trudeau.

AMEN, G.T.!

“The Oregonian” (Portland, OR) is also blocking today’s Doonesbury. So much for the so-called liberal media.

A message of facts for the RightWing Uterus-Meddlers:

There is no medical or even religious consensus on when life begins. It is a matter of personal conscience. Having to have an abortion is never a trivial occurrence, but there is no data proving it brings permanent psychological harm, nor promotes breast cancer. Abortion is legal. These obtrusive and humiliating abortion-obstructing laws prove the hypocrisy of the right wing bullies, who have been claiming that the Predsident’s heath care plan will “come between doctor and patient.” If you want to rescue the life of a child, travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo and save a member of Joseph Kony’s child army. Or help unfortunate children in your very own home town. And keep out of other women’s ladyparts.

Wow, didn’t realize so many people read the comment section.

@too-zonkedThat’s OK, you were too zonked.

The scarlet letter “A” on the clipboard is a nice touch.

There are 7 states that are going to use the unnecessary procedure of the transvaginal probe. The external ultrasound shows the same picture. It is being used to humiliate women.

This comment right here, MY COMMENT, is going to save 1 meelion babies.

I’m a libertarian teenager, but I might be able to help you. Why what?

GMartin- the taxpayer footing the bill for one precludes footing even a bigger bill if they don’t. I am all for preventive use and even the government getting involved there.

Scarlet/Red letter, too?

SoundDefense: And I was beginning to think I was the only one that noticed the scarlett letter. Though here, I’m curious as to whether Trudeau means it for ‘Adultery’, or ‘Abortion’. Anywoo, I’m looking forward to the direction he’s taking this plot.

1st temination is a choice, 2nd termination is a bad choice, 3rd termination should include sterilization. Consider the source of this comment…I am a man. When will women step up to end male domination?

The Republicans here in Texas are a joke. They don’t want “government meddling in health care” unless of course it is women’s health care. Must have vaccines! Must have ultrasound! At the same time Perry is running a multi-billion dollar deficit, he doesn’t want to take federal funds for women’s health care because some of those dollars wind up at Planned Parenthood (and not for abortions). Republicans have become America’s Taliban.

Is this supposed to be a Pregnancy Resource Center? Because if it is, this is a lie. I work at a Crisis Pregnancy Center, and this is not the way abortion-minded clients are treated. I know this is a satirical comic strip, but some things should not be distorted, and this is one of them.

right on!!!!!!

Is the State paying for the legislatively mandated sonogram? Or is this another “unfunded mandate?”

i have experienced this firsthand and i am here to tell you, if you have not had to make this choice than keep your holier than thou omments to youself.

the so called liberal media newspaper of ours (the republican rag indianapolis star) also replaced today’s strip with a non controversial one.basta!

Just love the can of worms this has opened up.

My local paper here in western PA chickened out, too.

It’s about time this issue is presented for what it is and how American legislators are trying to manipulate women’s rights.Kudo’s to Trudeau….

Wonder how long gmartin would think a man should have to make such a decision and get together the money and arrange time off, child care,and all the other things women have to deal with as well as making this difficult choice.

I don’t understand why anyone is against abortion. Isn’t this world filled with enough genetic undesirables and people incapable of being parents already?

Az Daily Star censored this! Grr!

Cheers to Gary Trudeau for this week’s social commentary.

How DARE Trudeau express any opinion on this topic!? Doesn’t he realize that as an aging MALE cartoonist, he has no place expressing any views on this topic?

The Guttmacher Institute notes as of March 2012, twenty states have ultrasound laws, but only seven requires it. Other states are considering them.

Thank you for commenting on what should be every woman’s private discussion with her doctor. I remember the R v.W atmosphere too clearly. As a returned Canadian I can be thankful that for women of childbearing age, in my country, this is a confidential, paid procedure.

I am deeply disappointed in your cowardly decision not to include Doonesbury in this week’s paper. The minority of noisy right wingers strikes again, and you bowed to them. What is happening to our rights to free expression, and to enjoy a laugh at the “free expression” of others?

A large majority of people are astoundingly myopic. The battle is ’ Pro-choice vs Anti-choice.’But the real danger, one we should all be concerned about, is OVERPOPULATION.

At last, someone has the guts to talk about the war on women. And, believe you me, it is a war!!!!!

Detroit Free Press didn’t print it, but on the web you can click and go to it. There are plenty of us out there who don’t like the idea of abortion as a birth control method, but also know there are a LOT of other reasons to choose it. In my opinion, the election to do it should be a matter for the woman and her doctor to choose rather than the government.

@DOUGHFOOT: Just a minor correction you made about Muslim countries: In majority-Muslim countries, the individual may be discriminated against or even punished if he eats in the daytime during Ramadan or eats pork at anytime or dresses provacotively. I was in pre-Russian-invasion Afghanistan in 1974. A restaurant refused to serve my Muslim friend during Ramadan (he had a stomach problem and couldn’t fast), although they were willing to serve me (I refused to patronize the restaurant, just as I wouldn’t patronize an establishment that discriminated against non-whites in the US).

It’s not in Northern California…maybe in LaLa land to the south.

Why can’t the Oregonian deal with what is truly going on for women in the United States?

And the Portland Oregonian lacks balls…and integrity.

In a modern nation, abortion isn’t an a hot-button issue. But, in a modern nation, health care is a right, not a privilege extended to those who can afford it.

Thank you, Mr. Trudeau. Your willingness to step into the fray on behalf of women’s rights is appreciated. You’ve still got the sting needed to make people sit up and pay attention. It is my hope they will also come to their senses and direct their fervor in a place other than between the legs of women in the U.S.

The Oregonian – (Portland) – won’t publish the strip – they had a tough decision to make- whose sensibilities are they protecting or are they going to insult? This is a hot potato issue that shouldn’t exist – the decision to have an abortion or not is personal and should remain so. It’s difficult to say that no one has the right to force their believes on another – as a society we do it all the time – look at capital punishment, wars – But this issue is between a woman and herselfAs far as the political divide goes – lets all remember that conservative women have abortions too. It’s the self righteous posturing from churches and people on all sides that makes the whole thing so much distastefu. Let’s try to keep the discussion respectful – as hard as it is to do so.

I think the late George Carlin had it right when he remarked that conservatives want lots of live babies so that they can grow up to be dead soldiers. (And, I would add, if in the meantime they get buggered by horny clerics, that is regarded as no big deal.)

One should “ponder the ramifications” of the being the child who was not wanted instead of only considering one’s personal, religious views.Kudos to GT for “shining a light” on the politicians actions. Lenny Bruce would have been proud.

Can you site research on this “The majority of women who see their living, moving baby on the sonogram decide against the abortion.”?

I would like to bring up a point with all the pro-lifers who equate abortion with murder. Shouldn’t Sen. Santorum be brought up on first-degree murder charges for having his wife have an abortion then?

@ Starrman (and Redhead)

You two are the only commenters who seem to have responded to the dilemma I posed. One group is pro-choice but against capital punishment; another holds abortion to be murder and therefore punishable by death.

The one thing rational people will agree on is that neither side can be right. Tthat’s why they shout at each other instead of discussing rationally the real question: what is the value to society of the life of a fetus or the life of a convicted murderer?

As Starrman remarks, “I’ve always found it fascinating that people in favor of abortions would be against capital punishment.” As a former cop, he helps to nudge us towards rationality when he remarks, "I am also in favor of retro-abortions. ‘Johnny, we’re going to do what your mother should have done (insert age) years ago.’”

Retro-abortions—-what a great term for capital punishment!

Glad to be able to read it here. The Post Dispatch, once a proud Pulitzer paper, isn’t running these strips

The Oregonian didn’t have the nerve to print this, so I’ll have to read it here all week. Proud of you Mr. Trudeau!

Here’s an argument against abortion dealing nothing with morality. In a society that provides entitlements for seniors, it assumes that there are enough young people to pay for those entitlements. With abortions, we are artifically aging the population and declining the birthrates, which basically will speed us up towards bankruptcy and long-term economic stagnation.

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/03/141000410/how-declining-birth-rates-hurt-global-economies

BEAUTY!! go get’um GB.

I’m remembering a question Al Franken put forth when he was just a talk show host: “You’re in an in-vitro fertilization clinic when a fire breaks out. Do you save the baby in the crib or grab the freezer with a thousand embryos?” It seems to me the answer you give tells if you’re truly “pro-life”.

The Oregonian is another so called newspaper to cancel strip,why?

Love it!

Way to go Garry! Toronto Star had the bisquits to use this strip today, thank goodness.

oh, what a splendiferous argument against abortion: in order to be able to continue funding social security, let’s ensure that women are all baby factories in this time of plummeting resources and over-poupulation. Why didn’t I think of that. That would take care of the labor problems, too — keep the women at home producing the future financers of social security, and there will be more jobs for the guys.

This caused me to sign up for go comics…. just another chance for the “main street” media to wimp out. No wonder people who want to educate themselves have to get their info from alot of news sources. I laughed my ass off when Al Jazeera became a more trusted news source than the US TV channels. The US doesn’t lead anymore because we have no leaders …. as in the US congress. This week Mr. Trudeau is our leader. Women, vote for your daughters right to privacy.

2 quick points:My town newspaper, The Modesto (CA) Bee is too cowardly to publish these (Thank you, Go Comics); and the need for abortion would be minimized if birth control was readily and cheaply available.p.s. Rush L., please go to Hell.

Many years ago a “Pro-Life” friend of mine and I were discussing the pros and cons of abortion and he told me “I heard a story (it seems all right-wingers start their arguments with this line) about a woman who had an abortion because she didn’t want to be pregnant during her up-coming vacation.”To which I asked, “If she was that kind of person, then what kind of mother would she have been likely to be?”He had no answer to that.

It is disgusting to move this strip to internet only where access by young people is easy. It is a political dodge. It would be better if you don’t have the stomach to print is with the other comics to just move it to the editorial page.

Freedom of choice. It is the American way. The decision and it’s ramifications should be between the woman and her conscience. Government has no right to interfere! That’s not what I pay taxes for. And yes the government spends my money in ways I hate(WAR for one), but helping women with this difficult decision is not one of them.

I’m shocked that the Oregonian newspaper didn’t have the balls to at least publish this in the editorial section. Women’s rights are under siege by the old boy’s right wing of the Republican party. Just watch the news

The editors of the Oregonian pulled this week’s strips in a “clear call”. Ladies, just please take a seat at the back of the bus. (where your tender ears won’t hear such unpleasantness)

I can’t believe The Oregonian pulled the strip for the week and is running old strips instead. Cowards. Of course this is the same paper that, along with the St. Louis Post Dispatch, refused to run a column in which Dave Barry referred to a “morton” getting stuck in a vacuum cleaner. (The next week he hilariously called them both out in a column that included the memorable statement that he “got his Oregonian stuck in his St. Louis Post Dispatch.”)

GT should have said “Middle-aged, male REPUBLICAN state legislator will be with you in a moment.” Aren’t the Repugnicants the only ones interested in suppressing women?

It is a shame that we live in a culture where any woman would have any reason to want an abortion.Government funded contraception(not abortion) would be much cheaper than paying Welfare to support an unwanted child to age 18.Abortion is a terrible thing. Even worse is the number of children who die from neglect, abandonment, and abuse.

I was under the impression that this hypocritical gang of Men were against the government getting involved in our personal life.This reminds me of the Nazi regime.

Life begins on the first date!

Censored in Detroit as well, glad I could see it here.

Speaking of TRUTH, I wonder if Trudeau will have the integrity to show us a fetus at the typical time of abortion.

With the awful reality of the right-wing’s war on women impossible to justify, why, on earth, would anyone be concerned about references that are accurate, if not complimentary? They ARE middle-aged, white, male legislators and the whole point is to SHAME the women into deciding against abortion. Phyllis Schaffley may think she’s “educating” women - making sure they “understand” what they’re doing when they have a pregnancy terminated - but somehow, I think women and their doctors can figure out what’s best for the woman without the ham-fisted intervention of a middle-aged, white legislator who probably hasn’t the faintest idea how the female reproductive system works. It IS a shame room. That IS the intent of the law.

“I heard somewhere” (actually, read it in an article by a helper at a clinic) that there are plenty of conservative, anti-choice women who will go to a clinic and use the privacy laws to be sure no-one else knows theyre getting an abortion… and then will go back on the frontlines to be ensure no-one else can get one.

When will men just stop using their positions to determine what a woman does with her body?

When will all of us stop dictating and commenting our view on what a woman does with her body?

As usual, the BIG “R’s” (enough said) are trying to control our female bodies and our habits in the bedroom, while draining our middle-income earning power.

They are handsome, charming, pursuasive, rich, hugely partisan, and utter hypocrits. Why do we keep giving these people such power?

So, as is with anything that is controversial (immoral or sexually deviant) the only ones that are allowed to be outspoken and go against the modern way of living is considered intolerant. Why should women have the right to commit murder or not and the male involved only has the right to pay child support and no say on the murder of his child? Kind of like when a God fearing person stands up and says that according to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” They are branded as homophobic and beaten down by all the various groups that support sexually deviant lifestyles along with the socialist media. It is this same media that supports everything that comes down the pike that is against the very fabric of our constitution, be it muslims, abortions, national debt or sexual perversion. The really sad thing in all this is that our own government is complaisant in all these things and seems intent on destroying everything our founding fathers and veterans fought and died for. I do believe it is time for America to repent of all the national and personal sins. It is also time to refresh the tree of liberty.

Well done! A solid job (as my old editor used to say)! No room left for further argumentation, really. Kudos to Trudeau and to the well-educated posters to this strip.

This in comment #175. I usually read the comments before I write one of my own, but Heidi ticked me off and I clicked right in. Many of you expressed my outrage more completely than I was able to do. Thanks.

How true

Portland Oregonian says no to this? Aw, come on. Why is this “over the line”?

Why the uproar on this particular strip? (March 12) This is a ‘situation’ that many women deal with on a regular basis. Don’t like it? Don’t read it.

@PalinDrome….one can be against abortion to follow religious beliefs and also against capital punishment for the same reason. I believe this is the official position of the Roman Catholic church. Apart from religion or moral scruples,one can be against capital punishment as meted out now because of a possibility of mistaken id or procedures or even venal prosecutors. It has not been established as common knowledge when a zygote becomes human, but everyone knows that an innocent person full grown could die under capital punishment.

gmartin, when I was on active duty you paid for my birth control. It was a helluva lot cheaper than paying for my children.

Except with recent events, and attempts at legislation the middle aged male legislator crack is, at least, HONEST. And the Shaming Room is what the Right Wing zealots are trying to create for the whole process. AND Taxpayer money does NOT go to abortions, that has been illegal since 1977.

A legitimate and perhaps accurate jab — but not particularly amusing. Keep this debate out of the funnies, Mr. Trudeau. It’s a sore subject.

So, as is with anything that is controversial (immoral or sexually deviant) the only ones that allowed to be outspoken and go against the modern way of living is considered intolerance. Why should women have the right to commit murder or not and the male involved only has the right to pay child support and no say on the murder of his child? Kind of like when a God fearing person stands up and says that according to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” They are branded as homophobic and beaten down by all the various groups that support sexually deviant lifestyles along with the socialist media. It is this same media that supports everything that comes down the pike that is against the very fabric of our constitution, be it muslims, abortions, national debt or sexual perversion. The really sad thing in all this is that our own government is complaisant in all these things and seems intent on destroying everything our founding fathers and veterans fought and died for. I do believe it is time for America to repent of all the national and personal sins. It is also time to refresh the tree of liberty.

Many comments have declared that the decision as to whether or not to have an abortion should belong solely to the woman or to the woman and her doctor. But what about those so-poignant situations in which the man whose sperm fertilized her egg wants to be his offspring’s father? For years I’ve pondered this problem, and have no one-size-fits-all answer. Any thoughts?

Thank you for the valuable info.

My step-daughter was carrying twins, she was in her third month when they miscarried. She was emotionally devastated, but that soon passed to PHYSICAL agony because the doctor she went to when she miscarried refused to remove them, saying they would pass naturally or be absorbed. When she went to the emergency room a month later, the doctor there said words I’d never heard a professional use to describe another about how foolish the first doctor was not to take care of removing the miscarried twins immediately. It almost killed her, but she is recovering. You are so correct, this abortion discussion is NOT about “is it life or not” it is about control. Who controls a woman’s body, the woman, or the government/religion?

Sometimes I wish I thought in terms of black or white, but all things important I end up with a shade of gray. I am against abortion but do not have a right to keep a woman from having one. I am against capital punishment only because it is hard to say your sorry to a person found innocent after having been put to death. Of course Texans will tell you that they have never executed an innocent person. I even let both dogs andf cats sleep in my bed.

“Middle-aged male state legislator” is hardly a female chauvinist insult, it’s an accurate description of those making women’s health decisions, since the panel Fluke wanted to be a part of ended up consisting entirely of men, as the committee’s two female members, including non-voting representative Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, walked out of the hearing to protest the absence of women on the panel.

The Democratic hearing convened a week later was intended to be a response to the Oversight Committee panel and an opportunity for Fluke to give her testimony. And as it turned out, even a woman’s testimony on the subject is offensive and unwelcome.

I LOVE DOONESBURY!

Mr. Trudeau is one of the best satirists around today.

I’d like to know what the Anti-Choice league thinks would happen if abortion were outlawed. Would everything suddenly be peaches and cream and everyone would walk off into the pink sunset holding hands? No more unwanted kids? No more poverty; no more rape, incest or life-threatening complications?

Sadly, I don’t think so.

And would these so-called “Christians” be willing to put their time and money where their collective mouths are? Would they pay more taxes to support these children? Would they open up their churches during the week to act as free daycare centres, open to everyone, regardless of race or religion?

What about it, guys/gals?

And for a look at what happens when you outlaw both contraception and abortions, I suggest you look up Romania under this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu

Addendum:

And here’s one of the saddest results of Ceauşescu’s decrees:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cighid

I laughed my A++ off !! Great comic.. Should be in the comics.. Is this Fox news here?? Censoring topical humor is wrong!! Abortion is LEGAL in the US . Articles about abortion and more are in the paper all the time if you are worried about "protecting " children… Be braver Oregonian..

Thank you, Mr. Trudeau for tackling this subject. My local paper refused to run this week’s strip, but I knew I could find it here.

Trudeau has a wonderful ability to find humor in sensative social issues. Mr. Trudeau you rock!

The Oregonian is not running this strip this week. A shame – they need to go to the shaming room. Kids don’t read Doonesbury – people over 40 do. And guess who still gets home delivery of newspapers – yep -people over 40. The Oregonian will loose the few subscribers they have.

My hometown newspaper (The Oregonian) didn’t publish this strip today. I was directed to this site to read it. I’m very disappointed my local paper decided to censor it and not run it in the editorial section. However, there are silver linings, I found this site. Some great comments people. Thank you.

You are entitled to an opinion. What you are not entitled to is to impose your choice on someone else. It is not really a fine distinction.I am Christian, and don’t think abortion should be used as birth control (rape and health-threats to the mother are another issue). But I also realize my stance is informed primarily by my faith, not medical science – and that respecting others’ decisions and beliefs is part and parcel of a diverse society that I would also like to have respect my decisions and beliefs. It is profoundly wrong to force others to follow my edits of faith. If Christians want to have women not choose abortion as birth control, they’d best win them over to their faith perspective – because outside of that, most pro-lifers are really anti-choice for others – they think their faith perspective is absolute, and so right it can be prescribed unequivocally for all. Which, ironically, is part of why young women in particular are leaving churches.My position individual choice position is also informed by my being frankly appalled at many who are Christians who seem to feel society should be re-made in the image of their interpretation of Scriptures, seemingly having forgotten that Christ said his followers would be in the world, but not of the world. Again, trying to compel others to positions informed by faith is a doomed enterprise, and destructive to both sides.

My newspaper, The Oregonian, isn’t "weird’ enough to carry Doonesbury this week.

Gee Man said it all – we do not under any circumstances have the right to judge others and their decisions especially when it is a personal one. Thanks for saying it all so well without stooping to name call and passing judgement as some people have had the need to do.

my local newspaper stopped carrying this comic strip years ago, so no censoring is needed in that case

It’s just showing how ridiculous this contraceptive, abortion, bullish attempts to dominate what women can or cannot do….body or other wise.

After watching Rachel Maddow I now get it! Rock on Garry!

Nothing to see here, move along quietly folks. A woman’s body is hers and hers alone. Her decision. Not yours, not mine, not the governments.

A nod to “The Scarlet Letter”?

If you don’t understand it, don’t censor the people who understand it and appreciate it Rush.

I have loved reading all the comments on this. It is sad that this has become one of the main issues for the political season. I am so glad that there are people out there (thank you GT!) who are still willing to be controversial and add humor to it. As a female liberal, I believe that it is the woman’s choice what is done to her body, and that it is all about the power to control, versus their actual religious beliefs.

My hometown paper decided that this week’s strip “went over the line of good taste and humor”… Chicken s___, in my view! Thanks G.T for taking on this important topic.

@Gee Man: My Hero!

I’m another conservative woman, and a friend of one of the Virginia State legislators who voted for this. Google “suicides after abortion”. Woman are MUCH more likely to commit suicide after an abortion vs after having a live birth, even with postpartum depression hitting mothers extra hard. Society is telling pregnant women it’s a blob, and this is the only way government can tell them it’s not. Government is responsible for making sure that people make fully informed decisions. Liberals want women to just see it as their way: no life, no God, no consequences. When women find out they’ve been lied to and they have killed their child, they can’t handle it.

@pouncingtiger “This must be in Virginia.”

This must be in America.

@Sharuniboy — love all that you said except the cells winging their way to the uterus post conception are actually called “blastocysts” and only consist of about 8-10 cells at that point.

@DragonRydr — It’s amazing your step-daughter didn’t die from blood poisoning — carrying dead fetuses for any length of time can be very toxic.

This will see 1,000 comments by morning. Our local paper is running the strip, but because of content, they’re publishing it on the Opinion page. Suffice to say, the Op/Ed page is the first place I will turn while you’re running this. Carry on, man.

I’m with surfstuff55. Would love to hear the answer. Also, thanks sound defense for pointing out the A. Somehow I had missed it!

Besides the fact that the woman taking the form wouldn’t call it “the shaming room”, and that there will be proxies for the “middle-aged, male, state legislator”, someone explain to me why there’s any controversy about this strip. Looks like Texas reality to me.

Newspapers censoring this strip brought it to my attention. Glad they did..worth reading.

Second month???? A woman has had ample time to become aware of her condition? Spoken like someone who has never had irregular menstrual periods! For starters. What a perfect world you must live in, unlike us human beings out here.

NOTICE THE CARD WITH THE RED A !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember in the House of Representatives when they talked about birth control and whether it should be provided by health care insurance paid for by any employer, no women were allowed on it and no women were allowed even to speak before it, claiming it was only a matter of religious freedom of the employer.

Once again the idea of special rights only for Christians giving Christians rights to decide what medical decisions for a woman can be made, regardless of her religion or desire. Ah the Christian Taliban is moving quickly as it can trying to censure anyone one that disagrees with them, including this cartoonist.

Love this. Perhaps those male middle aged lesislators would prefer we return to the back alleys and coat hangers.

Maybe Texas will finally realize what kind of politician Perry is – the worst kind. He should have been out of office many years ago, but far too many just fill in the spot marked “Republican” on their form, and vote for people they really don’t know anything about.

It is hard to believe that we have actually de-evolved so much in such a short time. I actually thought we would gain human rights not lose them. So sad.

!

Love, love, love Garry Trudeau!