As we reported back on March 12, Garry Trudeau has done it again. The intrepid comic strip author has ventured into forbidden political territory once more, and is banned by many publications again. Here is Part 4 of the banned Doonesbury Abortion Cartoon. -- ma/RSN

The banned Doonesbury Abortion Cartoon: Part 4. (image: Universal Uclick)

The Banned Doonesbury Abortion Cartoon:
Part 4

Garry Trudeau, Reader Supported News

22 March 12

Doonesbury's banned abortion series: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.

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+204 # Rick Levy 2012-03-22 18:06

Leaflets of this series should dropped on Texas and all the other red states.

+64 # kbarrand 2012-03-22 19:52

Perhaps along with books that have accurate accounts of U.S. history. Oh yes..... and science.

+57 # Patriot 2012-03-22 20:23

Wish I'd thought of that. Gary Trudeau didn't mince any words, did he? Good for him!!

Is there anyne out there who STILL thinks that 's a good law, or even a harmless law? It's the most offensive, outrageous, insulting law I've ever heard of.

Every lawmaker who supported or in future supports such a law ought to have to first undergo a transrectal ultrasound just so he really comprehends what's going to be done to women.

Under what flat rock is the AMA hiding these days, by the way?

RSN: Can you fix us up a link so we can send all four panels of Mr Trudeau's excellent work to everyone we know in one shot? Every American ought to see this one.

+20 # Reductio Ad Absurdum 2012-03-23 06:58

Texas Republicans would need a transrectal ultrasound to find their brains. They begin every state legislative session by voting whether to secede from the union. I hope they all vote "yes" and leave; Texas has no interest in democracy. It seems all our messes from from Texas.

+13 # vitobonespur 2012-03-22 23:04

Quoting Rick Levy:

Leaflets of this series should dropped on Texas and all the other red states.

Why? The ones who need it most wouldn't be able to read it, and if they could they would be shouting "Right on!"

+29 # chinaski 2012-03-23 06:55

Texas should be dropped on Texas.

+42 # soularddave 2012-03-22 20:57

I'm so embarrassed for those who are threatened by this malicious persecution, and ashamed of those who insist on treating people in this inhumane manner. ANY medical procedure should be optional, available, and PRIVATE with the physician's agreement.

+64 # Erdajean 2012-03-22 21:46

Why are we STILL putting up with this in America? Why are we not out in droves, storming every state-house, every Lousy, slimy nest of GOP rapists in this country?

Those who have not, please read Margaret Atwood's novel, "The Handmaid's Tale." It is a grotesque horror story about the dehumanization of women by so-called "religious" lunatics-- and it's WAY too close to where we are.

+26 # AnnaVanZ 2012-03-23 07:09

That was the best novel ever, and you are right, it's horrifyingly close to where we are!

+10 # Walhalla 2012-03-22 23:22

Quoting Rick Levy:

Leaflets of this series should dropped on Texas and all the other red states.

aaaaaaaaoh yes, I agree. You design - I'll print.

+14 # carioca 2012-03-23 00:42

Good stuff. Hope "You can't buy me for ten thousand bux" Rick Perry reads this.

Oh, jeez, he cain't read, now can he?

+60 # FIRSTNORN1 2012-03-23 01:09

How is it possible that any woman in this country could vote Republican in the November elections?

+13 # seeuingoa 2012-03-23 01:10

Does that mean that governor Rick Perry
would have perforated a virgin, if
the Virgin Mary had decided to abort Jesus in Texas.

+17 # Barbara K 2012-03-23 03:52

Dump RED states!

+10 # dick 2012-03-23 03:53

Male Republicans make up around 20% of those eligible to vote in Texas. Do the approx. 80% who are not MRs have no responsibility here? In the other red states? In Penn, Wis, Ohio?
Apparently MANY women heartily support what MRs are doing & millions of others don't care enough to take about 30min/year to register/vote, let alone organize,volunt eer, contribute. I wish Gary would focus his powerful pen on those for a few strips. Some people vote-win; some people whine-lose. Democracy.

0 # sallyunraveled 2012-03-29 00:24

There's some truth to what you're saying, but you're preaching to the choir here.

-117 # Robt Eagle 2012-03-23 04:26

Trudeau is way beyond pushing the limits here. This is now just in really bad taste any way you read it!

+53 # angelfish 2012-03-23 07:25

Quoting Robt Eagle:

Trudeau is way beyond pushing the limits here. This is now just in really bad taste any way you read it!

What's REALLY in "bad taste" is ANY State that would Mandate this kind of NEEDLESS, invasive procedure SOLELY for the purpose of discouraging and shaming the Patient seeking this Perfectly LEGAL procedure! These things should be decided by the Patient and her Physician, NOT some Bible thumping Fanatical, Nazi/Fascist Politician with an ax to grind! Considering the fact that the MAJORITY of the population is Female, the ReTHUGlicans are shooting themselves in the head on this one! Remember, dear Folks and Vote the Fanatics OUT in November! The People, UNITED, will NEVER be defeated!

+9 # tswhiskers 2012-03-23 07:31

In even worse taste is the hypocrisy of harping about smaller government and greater personal freedom on the one hand and on the other, controlling women's bodies to keep them "barefoot and pregnant."

+50 # Jane Gilgun 2012-03-23 08:11

Bad taste? The laws are bad taste. They are a form of rape. Think, man.

I wish you'd be concerned about the bad taste of women being forced to submit to a wand being stuck in them--and it's not in our mouths or ears.

Do you think women are so used to this kind of violation that it doesn't matter to them? Humiliation of women is ok? Think.

How would you like to be forced to bend over and have someone shove something into the place where the sun doesn't usually shine? Think. Where are your family values?

+21 # chinaski 2012-03-23 09:08

Well said, Jane. This has nothing to do with morality. This is anger being directed at women, with a moral coral cover story.

Transvaginal ultrasound.
It's all the rage.

+1 # sallyunraveled 2012-03-29 00:38

I've had transvaginal ultrasounds a couple of times for medical reasons. The wand they use is remarkably like a dildo. There's some very accurate symbolism here.

This must be especially traumatizing for a woman who has been sexually assaulted. I could see a forced transvaginal ultrasound triggering episodes of PTSD.

+19 # noitall 2012-03-23 09:44

Robt Eagle, would you condone Killing the messenger? You are not alone. Look what has happened to whistle blowers in this country and anywhere we have influence. Even our "best choice" for President has punished more whistle blowers than any other president...wha t's that all about? We live in a country that HATES TRUTH. This can't be good for ANY democracy, especially one that pretends to be promoting democracy world-wide (as we expand our empire and vacuum up the resources of the poor) via propped-up despots and plants. Should Trudeau be treated like Manning and Assange? They too exposed the truth but Trudeau did worse; he put the truth in a form that the average, distracted American could understand.

+12 # Adoregon 2012-03-23 10:52

When was the last time you were pregnant?

+4 # carioca 2012-03-23 17:08

We won't attack you personally because we believe in freedom of religion.

We won't ask you to leave because we don't want you here. It is your right to be here.

But, we WILL give you red marks. Lots and lots of red marks.

+1 # Pickwicky 2012-03-25 12:57

Robt Eagle is clearly unaware that Trudeau is just the messenger.

+43 # Wind in His Hair 2012-03-23 05:08

This was the cartoon that got the right riled up. The truth always hurts, as the old saying goes.

+20 # Karlus58 2012-03-23 06:02

The reality is striking. How shameful in these times.

+25 # cordleycoit 2012-03-23 06:08

The Elmer Gantry's have captured the Rethugs. One could call it the return of the Bible Belt. The Boobs(see H.L Mencken) have elevated their religious status to issue their Fatwas, Get ready for the stoning. Hard hats are needed for women in Texass.

+33 # Bodiotoo 2012-03-23 06:21

Maybe the law be be extended to include a rectal exam with the same tool...on the father of the fetus. The maybe men will stand up (if able) and get the law repealed.

+31 # chinaski 2012-03-23 06:52

If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.

+31 # rhgreen 2012-03-23 07:07

God bless Garry Trudeau. And I mean it. We need him right now.

+26 # Caballero69 2012-03-23 07:23

In comedy there is truth [En comedia hay verdad]. We should laugh at the cartoon and roar at the legislative misogynists who think women are fair game for shaming.

+19 # swissms 2012-03-23 07:51

Didn't I just hear Mitt Romney declare that we had more rights before Obama came into office? Maybe that's true, but you can't blame the Dems for the invasion of rights as the result of the Patriot Act nor for the freedoms removed by this kind of lunacy.

+24 # FLAK88 2012-03-23 08:51

As I've been saying (and will continue to repeat) regarding Parts 1,2 &3, Gary's strips are neither vile nor graphic and never have been in his 35+ years of brilliant satire. He illustrates the fine print of ignorant legislation and flies it the face of the ignoramuses who vote for the ignoramuses who legislate. That's it; nothing more, nothing less. If people don't like it, they can read another strip. Besides, if Limbaugh can be allowed to flap his fat trap with impunity, then why is Gary being banned ? What's the difference between turning the radio dial or not reading the comics you dislike ?

+3 # ThorunnPS 2012-03-24 03:19

Yes, but then the mainstream media has long been a bunch of cowardly wusses, in bed with those they perceive as having the power, while bleating about being fair and balanced.

+15 # chuckw38 2012-03-23 08:59

Garry Trudeau, You are truly an incredible 'Teller of Truth' in your Cartoons! Thank you for what you do in representing so many of us, who cringe at the Re-pugs' senseless & shameful remarks, but then again, they are so DUMB I guess that they just don't know about Respect, Honor, and all else that conveys intelligence and Honor among Men/Women.. Sighhh

+2 # ThorunnPS 2012-03-24 03:22

The problem is that they are NOT dumb. Their success in passing all sorts of outrageous laws shows that.

+19 # Windy126 2012-03-23 09:41

I am horrified at what they will think up next. No more laws against women until all men wanting medication for ED are required to have a Rectal exam, preferably with an ultrasound probe, so nothing can be missed, down, a letter from 3 females stating that he is unable to preform, in detail. Then he has to pay for it himself. I'm not going to pay for him to have sex. No one gets any return from it except the person taking it. At least contraception prevents unwanted pregnancy, abortions, the cost of the child being paid by public funds.

+23 # riversideliberal 2012-03-23 10:01

Having had this trans-vaginal ultrasound procedure several times, I can assure you all --- it is VERY uncomfortable and, if done on an unwilling subject, would feel VERY MUCH like being raped.

Since a) women have the right to choose abortion and b) over-the-belly ultrasound is quite adequate for any woman who wants to know how far along she is, this newly-mandated procedure is truly just for SHAMING women, humiliating and embarrassing them, and making them associate sex with pain and horror.

Truly, The Handmaid's Tale is just around the corner if we don't fight these kinds of laws.

+16 # Maverick 2012-03-23 11:02

==========
CHINASKI: "Texas should be dropped on Texas."
==========
Now THAT'S funny! I haven't laughed out loud like that in too long! I agree with another reader: where is the AMA in all of this? More to the point, where are the thousands of doctors signing a notice of intent -- either Texas gets OUT of their freakin' examination rooms or the doctors will be getting OUT of Texas?
==========
Come on all you MDs . . . with all your medical training, you shouldn't have too much trouble locating your own spine? And once you find that, you male doctors can move straight down -- just a little bit lower -- and find those two things hanging there which used to mean something! Stand up! Don't let these pussbrains rule over you! Give 'em the antibiotic they clearly NEED!
==========
sail4free
==========

0 # Pickwicky 2012-03-25 12:59

Maverick--many, many doctors vote Republican. The best we can hope for here is that Texas doctors are suffering shock.

0 # mgrosent 2012-03-23 14:08

Gary, you are brilliant. These cartoons are over the top, too good for the Tea party. I've saved them.

One small eror: The US probe used is about the diameter of a tampon (I've had one in my rectum on several occasions to scan my prosate). In this Texas case, it is, as intended by the legislators, demeaning, and insulting.
But it's not painful.

+4 # Billy Bob 2012-03-23 17:02

If you've had it inserted to check your prostate, I'm guessing you never had it inserted in your vagina. Maybe it's only painless in the rectum.

0 # mgrosent 2012-03-23 19:49

About as painful as a tampon inserter.
Don't take my word for it. Ask any woman who uses tampons.

or

Ask any woman who, in the course of evaluating a GYN problem, or, as part of routine OB care has had pain from the US.
It's not the physical pain. It's the MCPs who hurt--all of us, male and female.
ps I have bad herorrhoids, but the probe is quite small enough to not hurt them.

+1 # sallyunraveled 2012-03-29 18:35

I've had it done. *Much* bigger than a tampon. Nothing like a tampon. And much more uncomfortable. More like a dildo, which makes the symbolism especially ironic.

+3 # Becky1980 2012-03-24 04:39

Quoting mgrosent:

Gary, you are brilliant. These cartoons are over the top, too good for the Tea party. I've saved them.

One small eror: The US probe used is about the diameter of a tampon (I've had one in my rectum on several occasions to scan my prosate). In this Texas case, it is, as intended by the legislators, demeaning, and insulting.
But it's not painful.

Maybe the probe used for the rectum is as small as a tampon, but I've had a trans vaginal ultra sound and believe me it's not that small. It's easily double that size. No less than 6 to 7 inches long and easily double the diameter of an average tampon. I've seen vibrators smaller than these ultrasound wands they intend to use on women.

+6 # southpaugh 2012-03-23 21:46

I's not a cartoon. It's a Graphic Indictment. Spot on, and in carefully reserved taste considering the subject and in comparison to the damage the law and legislators it lampoons have and shall inflict, and to what end? Kudos, Garry. You be da bomb.

+1 # infohiway 2012-03-25 06:19

WHERE'S THE AMA?
THAT'S OBVIOUS.
DOES NOT EVERY DOCTOR GET PAID FOR EVERY CONSULTATION AND EXAMINATION - OFTEN BY INSURANCE?
EVEN OBAMACARE?
FOLLOW THE MONEY.
THEY'RE ALL IN BED TOGETHER AND GETTING PAID FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S SEX?
OH, THE IRONY (AND THE BANK BALANCE - OF COURSE)!

0 # Pickwicky 2012-03-25 13:02

What if a trans-vaginal ultra sound should cause a miscarriage?

0 # sallyunraveled 2012-03-29 00:31

No. It doesn't go past the cervix.

0 # sallyunraveled 2012-03-29 00:45

I mentioned above that I've had transvaginal ultrasounds done for medical reasons. The level of discomfort varied greatly. The first couple of times it was just discomfort, but the last time I had it done it was very painful. I was still hurting on the drive home. I think it has to do with the skill of the technician. Or maybe how easy it is to see what they're trying to see.

Regardless of the pain level, I think it is a form shame. It's an unnecessary procedure done to make the woman feel guilty.

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