Stop pulling Doonesbury!

It's been a tough season for anyone who likes women's rights, but Gary Trudeau's Doonesbury cartoon has been right there to help, finding the humor in the horror. A recent Doonesbury strip shows a doctor about to perform a transvaginal ultrasound on a pregnant woman. After explaining the new law (under consideration in Texas) that requires a transvaginal ultrasound prior to an abortion, the doctor refers to the ultrasound probe as a "10-inch shaming wand." Asked if the procedure will hurt, the doctor replies "Texas feels you should have thought of that" adding "By the authority invested in me by the GOP base, I thee rape." 

Outcries have been heard across the country with St. Paul's Pioneer Press, Florida's Gainesville Sun, and the Ocala Star-Banner refusing to run the strips. Even Portland's typically progressive Oregonian has joined in the judgment, claiming in its editorial page that the 'toon "went over the line of good taste."

Um. Didn't the original error of good taste come from GOPs who are trying to punish women for having sex by subjecting them to an invasive. painful, and unnecessary medical procedure?

It's worth noting, amongst all this cowardice, the bravery of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer which has calmly run the cartoon through the gauntlet of controversy. A Plain-Dealer editor notes that the cartoon is, after all, political satire. 

So maybe we shouldn't get all queasy every time it's political? Just at thought.