Graphic novelist Susie Cagle has produced a new graphic report for Cartoon Movement entitled, “What Every Woman Should Know.” The report delves into the anti-abortion and woman’s rights in the U.S.
“After visiting several local crisis pregnancy centers, I settled on First Resort as my sort of protagonist,” Cagle says, “as their commitment to being as misleading as possible to the general public was intriguing. The situation in the Bay Area is kind of a microcosm of all the factors at play in this political situation on a national scale.” On Thursday Cartoon Movement will publish a column by Cagle about translating her undercover reporting into comics form.
This is an interesting project and I applaud Susie for dealing with it. But I found the book to be, well, a little too neutral for my taste. Not enough is made of the fact that the information provided by these Crisis Pregnancy Centers is biased and incomplete, and designed to delay making a crucial decision. It’s mentioned, but I think that should be what the story is about.
I understand that maybe she didn’t want to be too confrontational, but not enough is made these days of the fact that unwanted children are a very real problem, that abortion is legal, and that it should always be an option when a pregnancy is unplanned.