All 6 Censored Doonesbury Cartoons

From News Junkie Post courtesy of my buddy Alden on facebook:

DOCTOR (reading text from a document to a female patient): “On behalf of Governor Rick Perry, May I welcome you to your compulsory transvaginal exam…This invasive procedure is mandatory for anyone seeking to end innocent unborn life in the state of Texas…After meeting with your fetus, you will be given state-approved printed material that explains the consequences of your actions…”

PATIENT: Why are you reading all this?

DOCTOR (reading): “…As your doctor cannot be trusted to do so.”

Read 'em all here.

I've read that, even though some papers are, indeed, choosing not to run Gary Trudeau's scathingly hilarious take on the Texas anti-abortion object-rape law, some are simply moving the strip over to the editorial section for the week, and most papers are just running the strip as usual, which is good news. Guess we've come a long way since Doonesbury began in the 70s, when, I imagine, this story arc would have never made it out of the cartoonist's head and onto the his drawing board.

While horrifying, this shameless law easily lends itself to comedy because it is so absurd. I mean, seriously: there is absolutely no medical justification for requiring this ultrasound procedure; it exists only to humiliate women seeking abortions. And "humiliate" is something of an understatement. For no medical reason, Texas doctors are required by law to insert an object into their patients' vaginas, that is, to rape them with an object. Nobody actually involved wants to do this, but the state of Texas doesn't care. Women who want abortions, according to the state legislature, must be raped in order to obtain one. Both horrifying and absurd at the same time.

There can be no civilized debate about this. Mockery and ridicule are the only responses rational and moral people can make. Way to go Doonesbury!!!

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