“Doonesbury” Takes On Ultrasound Laws
The much-loved political cartoon “Doonesbury” ran an entire week of comic strips focusing on mandatory ultrasound laws beginning on March 12, 2012. More than 60 newspapers refused to run “Doonesbury” cartoons even though they were simply trying to humanize the struggles of women under Texas’s demeaning law.
The Center immediately launched an advocacy campaign asking supporters to email us if their local newspapers chose not to run the strips. As a result, we received thousands of emails reporting this censorship, but also applauding newspapers brave enough to run the strips in their entirety. The Center filed a lawsuit against Texas’s invasive ultrasound law and took it all the way to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which declined to give us a full hearing—despite clear violations of the rights of women and their doctors. The law is now being enforced, and women seeking an abortion must not only first get an ultrasound, but she will be required to be shown the ultrasound image and listen to her doctor describe the image in detail—even if she says NO. We haven’t given up our fight in Texas and against similar laws cropping up around the country. The “Doonesbury” cartoons helped to show just how outrageous these laws are, and supporter activism made it clear that Americans don’t want their news—or cartoons—censored.
DOONESBURY (c) 2012 G.B. Trudeau. Dist. by permission of Universal Uclick.
Here are some of the reasons newspapers gave for not running the cartoons:
“I am concerned about the graphic content.” (Rock Hill, SC Herald)
“The language in the original strips was not appropriate for a comic that could be viewed by children.” (Ogden, UT Standard-Examiner)
“Went over the line of good taste and humor.” (Oregonian)
* Newspapers that did not run the ultrasound edition of “Doonesbury”:
- Abilene Reporter News (TX)
- Anniston Star (AL)
- Arizona Daily Star (AZ)
- Arizona Republic
- Battle Creek Enquirer (MI)
- Bend Bulletin (OR)
- Birmingham News
- Bozeman Daily Chronicle (MT)
- Centre Daily Times (PA)
- Charleston Post and Courier
- Columbus Dispatch
- Connecticut Post
- Daytona Beach News-Journal
- The Eagle (TX)
- Elmira Star-Gazette (TX)
- Findlay Courier (OH)
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX)
- Fresno Bee
- The Gainesville Sun (FL)
- Gloversville Leader-Herald
- Greensboro News &, Record
- The Harrisburg Patriot News (PA)
- Henderson Times-News (NC)
- The Herald, (SC)
- Indianapolis Star
- Journal News (NY)
- Lansing State Journal
- Leader-Herald (NY)
- Missoulian
- Newsday (Long Island)
- Norman Transcript
- Ocala Star-Banner (FL)
- Oregon Register Guard
- Oregonian (OR)
- Poughkeepsie Journal
- Press of Atlantic City ( NJ)
- Press and Sun-Bulletin (NY)
- Providence Journal
- Pueblo Chieftain (CO)
- Reading Eagle (PA)
- Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
- Rock Hill Herald (NC)
- San Diego Union Tribune
- Santa Maria Times (CA)
- Spokesman-Review (WA)
- Standard-Examiner (Utah)
- St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN)
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- StarNews (NC)
- Star Tribune (MN)
- Syracuse Post-Standard
- Tallahassee Democrat
- Tennessean
- Utica Observer-Dispatch
- Vacaville Reporter (CA)
- Winston-Salem Journal
Newspapers that ran the series on pages other than the comics:
- The Akron Beach Journal
- The Bennington Banner (VT)
- The Buffalo News will run the entire abortion series in their Sunday Editorial section
- Houston Chronicle (TX)
- The Kansas City Star (MO)
- The Los Angeles Times (CA)
- The Pocono Record will run the entire abortion series in their Sunday Editorial section
- The Portland Press Herald (ME)
- The Sacramento Bee
- The San Antonio Express News (TX)
- Seattle Times
* Sourced from CRR supporters.
** Please note that this list does not reflect every newspaper censoring the cartoons, just the ones we were able to verify.
