The New Roe v. Wade

MeanRachel’s blog post titled: “The Texas Shame Act”, Rachel Farris writes about the popular, politically charged comic strip “Doonesbury”.  This past week, the author of “Doonesbury”, Gary Trudeau targeted Texas and Governor Rick Perry by satirizing the anti-abortion sonogram law.  As of February, Texas state law mandates that a woman who chooses to have an abortion must undergo a vaginal ultrasound and the doctor must verbally describe the ultrasound result to her within 24 hours prior to the actual procedure.

The “Doonesbury”sonogram law series has sparked national media attention.  Farris sarcastically addresses her audience in regards to the attention that the comic strip has received.  She writes:  “Of course, this is causing proponents of the law a bit of anxiety as they never expected anyone but liberal, hairy-legged peace pipe players and baby killers to pay attention to the law or even hear about it.”  Her description of the “liberals” (who I am sure comprise the bulk of her audience) is quite comical and “Bill Maher-esque.” Her style is not for the faint of heart.

The remainder of Farris’ argument is fueled by the comments of the CEO of anti-abortion Heidi Group, Carol Everett who says, as reported by KVUE News:

"I'm very sad that a Texas law is being made fun of in this manner, when all this is about is protecting the health of women," said Carol Everett, CEO of anti-abortion non-profit the Heidi Group. "...[W]e do not need to be putting it in the comic section, first of all, where families and children may see it, or even the editorial page. We need to give that woman the privacy that she deserves when she makes that decision, yet a fully-informed consent."

In response to Everett’s comments, Farris unleashes her poignant yet humorous disposition:  “If all this law is about is simply "protecting the health of women," then what's the harm of it being brought up in the comic section where ‘families and children may see it’?  If that’s all this law is about, truly a plight to keep women safe then why can’t I read about it while I gulp down OJ and Cheerios?”    

The communication styles of authors like Trudeau and Farris could be compared to the anti-abortion sonogram law itself: perhaps it makes one feel uncomfortable, to some it may be invasive, or to many their point of view may not necessarily need to be heard at all.  The beauty of living in this country is that we all have a choice.  If we disagree with the author, we can just turn the page, close the web browser or unsubscribe.  Unfortunately, to the women of Texas who choose to exercise their legal right to have an abortion, they are now forced to have their right to choose compromised by state mandates - turning the page or closing the browser is not an option.