An abortion cartoon that's actually funny

South Dakota strip lampoons the state's special approach to women's health.

Published March 23, 2006 11:19PM (EST)

Opponents of South Dakota's virtually exception-free new abortion ban have expressed their dismay in all kinds of ways: Wisconsinites tried to overturn the law themselves (and then thought better of it ); blogger DCeiver suggested that the rest of the country just ignore the ban; and the awesome Cecilia Fire Thunder vowed to put a Planned Parenthood clinic on sovereign tribal lands. Meanwhile, the state's sole existing clinic has valiantly kept up business as usual.

Today, Broadsheet reader Eve Rametta pointed us to a great political cartoon on the subject. I don't want to spoil it, so just click on this link to experience the mirth.

It's especially wonderful to see a strip skewering the deeply scary S.D. state Sen. Bill Napoli, whose lascivious description of the hypothetical virginal rape victims who might "deserve" abortions prompted some clever neologist to turn his name into a verb. I don't think we should all rush to call his home number, though -- I'd prefer it if Napoli stayed out of everyone else's personal lives, so I think we should try to stay out of his. (Besides, haven't his wife and kids suffered enough?) His work number, however, seems like fair game to me.

And hey, here's hoping great strips like this one will prompt the crew at the state's Argus Leader to rethink their wussy refusal to run commentary on the abortion ban and invite columnists and cartoonists to stir up debate in South Dakota.


By Page Rockwell

Page Rockwell is Salon's editorial project manager.

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