The funny papers aren't so funny these days.
The satirical comic strip Doonesbury, which runs in approximately 1,400 daily newspapers across the country, is getting a lot of attention this week because of its subject matter - abortion.
Specifically, Garry Trudeau, the man behind Doonesbury, is taking aim at Texas Gov. Rick Perry and the controversial law that requires a woman seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound examination, be briefed on the health of the fetus by a doctor and then go through a mandatory 24-hour waiting period before ending the pregnancy.
Several prominent newspapers are choosing to not run the strip this week, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Editorial director J.R. Labbe wrote an explanation for the paper's decision that appears in Tuesday's edition.
"The reason for not printing the strip has nothing to do with left- or right-wing politics. It has everything to do with civility and consistency," Labbe writes, in part. She goes on to say that passionate arguments can be made without crossing a line, which Labbe indicates Trudeau has.
The Star-Telegram has made the Doonesbury strips available on the paper's website and can be seen here. The Dallas Morning News is continuing to run the strip this week.
