Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury is no stranger to finding itself in controversy, as the comic strip has tackled some real-life issues with pointed commentary surrounding hot-button topics before. However, Doonesbury's 1985 six-part comic strip satirizing an anti-abortion film, "The Silent Scream," was rejected by newspapers, as it was the first time in Trudeau's career that his nationally syndicated comic wasn't published as the subject matter was ultimately deemed too controversial.
Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau debuted more than 50 years ago in 1970, as the Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip initially followed the adventures of B.D., his college roommate, Mike Doonesbury, as well as Zonker and Boopsie. The comic strip has followed the lives of its characters as they've gotten older and experienced both triumphs and hardships while making observations and statements about the real world. Doonesbury has never been afraid to tackle politics, with Trudeau's most recent comics featuring Donald Trump and making criticisms of the former President of the United States. However, in the 1980s, Trudeau's Doonesbury comic poking fun at an anti-abortion film was rejected by newspapers.
In 1985, Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury was rejected by newspapers for the first time since it went into syndication, as a six-installment comic strip satirizing the anti-abortion film "The Silent Scream" was never published by Universal Press. The comic joked about "The Silent Scream II," a sequel to the controversial movie that depicted an abortion. In the satirical sequel, a narrator talks about a woman having an abortion 12 minutes after conception. The narrator names the fetus Timmy while saying its last words were "Repeal Roe vs. Wade" before it's aborted. The comic was taking aim at anti-abortion activists, which was a step too far, according to Doonesbury's syndicator, Universal Press. So Trudeau agreed not to distribute the strips in syndication per his usual arrangement.
Doonesbury's Most Controversial Comic Wasn't Published Initially
The controversial Doonesbury comic strip was eventually published in The New Republic, as it was deemed to be a more appropriate landing spot for the six-strip comic. However, it wasn't the first time a Doonesbury comic was moved, as some newspapers published Trudeau's strips on the editorial page and opinion page, not the comics page, as his political commentary wasn't always seen as appropriate for young readers.
Ultimately, it's easy to see why the Doonesbury comic strips garnered controversy, as they tackled an important, hot-button issue in the United States. Still, considering Garry Trudeau's comic has never shied away from commenting on real-life politics and controversial topics, it was surprising that the strips weren't just pushed to the opinions or editorial sections as opposed to not running in newspapers at all. As a result, the Doonesbury comic remains the most controversial strip Trudeau has ever created.