Garry Trudeau has famously kicked up a fuss this week by using his Doonesbury strip to tackle the ultrasound mandates that states like Virginia and Texas have passed for women seeking abortions. I read an interview Trudeau did in the Washington Post and wondered if he might be up for answering a few more questions. To my fan-girl joy, he said yes. Here is our exchange over email...

Throughout this week, a series of Doonesbury comic strips by Garry Trudeau will discuss the topic of the Texas abortion law, enacted in 2011, that requires women requesting an abortion to submit to an transvaginal ultrasound. According to the law, abortion providers must perform the ultrasound, play the sounds of the fetal heartbeat and show and describe the images. Women can decline to view or hear during the procedure.,.

The use of caricatures and allusions to make political statements has been around at least since Martin Luther used wood carvings to contrast Jesus driving the money-changers from the temple with the pope writing indulgences while parishioners paid money in tribute...

Rick Perry more open to probe label than Virginia's ultrasound governor...

Today's edition of Garry Trudeau's "Doonesbury" doesn't pull any punches. It features a woman checking in at a clinic for her mandatory sonogram, in advance of an abortion. Another woman, behind the desk, hands the patient a clipboard and says, "[Y]ou'll need to fill out this form. Please take a seat in the Shaming Room.... A middle-aged, male state legislator will be with you in a moment."...

Around a dozen U.S. newspapers have raised questions about an abortion-related "Doonesbury" comic strip set for publication next week, and some will likely not run it, the syndicate behind the cartoon said on Friday...

I chose the topic of compulsory sonograms because it was in the news and because of its relevance to the broader battle over women's health currently being waged in several states. For some reason, the GOP has chosen 2012 to re-litigate reproductive freedom, an issue that was resolved decades ago. Why [Rick] Santorum, [Rush] Limbaugh et al. thought this would be a good time to declare war on half the electorate, I cannot say. But to ignore it would have been comedy malpractice...

Universal Press Syndicate will offer replacement Doonesbury comic strips next week to newspapers that don't want to run a series focusing on a Texas law that requires women to have an ultrasound before getting an abortion, officials said Friday...

Last Friday, the Chicago Tribune chose — for the second time since last September — not to run a “Doonesbury” strip. The reason this time, according to the Tribune: The comic “broke from its satirical mission” so it could ”deliver a direct fundraising appeal for a specific charity” — DonorsChoose.org. A note that ran in the paper explains: “The Tribune’s editorial practices do not allow individuals to promote their self-interests.” Reached over the weekend by Comic Riffs, Trudeau raises two issues with this explanation...

Thursday, January 19th, at 10PM on FBN...