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 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Doonesbury" author Garry Trudeau on Friday defended an upcoming strip that one newspaper has rejected and others have questioned because it deals with a Texas abortion law the cartoonist described as "lunacy." 
 
 The law, which went into effect earlier this year and requires abortion providers perform an ultrasound before the procedure, is intended to give pause to pregnant women and possibly reconsider their decision. 
 
 Trudeau said in an email that the "party of limited government," a reference to Republicans, has legislated "onerous preconditions for a perfectly legal procedure" and withdrawn funds for reproductive health services that prevent unwanted pregnancies. 
 
 "This is happening in statehouses across the country," Trudeau said in the statement. "It's lunacy, and lunacy, of course, is in my wheelhouse." 
 
 A similar bill was signed into law earlier this week by Virginia's Republican Governor Bob McDonnell. 
 
 The cartoon's story line for Monday through Saturday tells of a woman who goes to a Texas clinic to have the procedure and is forced to get a sonogram, said Sue Roush, managing editor for Universal Uclick, the syndicate behind "Doonesbury. 
 
 The cartoon ends with the woman going home to wait 24 hours before having the abortion, as the Texas law requires, Roush said. The woman is a new character in "Doonesbury," she said. 
 
 Editors from about a dozen newspapers have reached out to Universal Uclick with questions about the strip authored by Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Trudeau, with some newspapers asking about whether an alternate strip will be offered, Roush said. 
 
 "I would imagine that some will make that choice" not to run the abortion-related strip, Roush said. 
 
 In fact, Portland newspaper The Oregonian said on its website late Friday that it will not run the strip. The cartoon "went over the line of good taste and humor in penning a series on abortion using graphic language and images inappropriate for a comics page," the paper said in a statement. 
 
 It was not immediately clear which other newspapers may have elected to bar the strip, and Roush would not name the publications that asked questions of her company. 
 
 An official with the Texas Daily Newspaper Association said she was not aware of any newspapers avoiding the strip. 
 
 Universal Uclick is offering an alternate from a year ago for those newspapers that want it, Roush said. 
 
 In 1985, Trudeau and his syndicate reached a mutual decision not to distribute strips that satirized the anti-abortion movie "The Silent Scream" which they thought would be controversial. The New Republic magazine ultimately ran the strips. 
 
 The Texas law "Doonesbury" is highlighting has proved controversial since lawmakers approved it last year. 
 
 It requires abortion providers to perform an ultrasound on pregnant women, show and describe the image to them, and play sounds of the fetal heartbeat. Women can decline to view images or hear the heartbeat, but they must listen to a description of the exam. 
 
 A coalition of medical providers sued state officials last year over the law, arguing it made doctors a "mouthpiece" for the state's ideological message. 
 
 A U.S. district judge blocked parts of the statute, but a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit overturned that ruling and allowed the law to take effect. 
 
 (Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte) ||||| FILE - In this April 5, 2008 file photo, Gary B. Trudeau, cartoonist and creator of "Doonesbury," speaks in New Haven, Conn. Universal Press Syndicate will offer replacement Doonesbury comic strips next... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this April 5, 2008 file photo, Gary B. Trudeau, cartoonist and creator of "Doonesbury," speaks in New Haven, Conn. Universal Press Syndicate will offer replacement Doonesbury comic strips next... (Associated Press) 
 
 A national syndicate will offer replacement "Doonesbury" comic strips to newspapers that don't want to run a series that uses graphic imagery to lampoon a Texas law requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, executives said Friday. 
 
 A handful of newspapers say they won't run next week's series, while several others said the strips will move from the comics to opinion pages or websites only. Many already publish the strip by cartoonist Garry Trudeau, whose sarcastic swipes at society's foibles have a history of giving headaches to newspaper editors, on editorial pages. 
 
 "We run `Doonesbury' on our op-ed page, and this series is an example of why," said David Averill, editorial page editor for the Tulsa World. "Many of our readers will disagree with the political stance the series takes, and some will be offended by the clinical language. I believe, however, that this series of strips is appropriate to the abortion debate and appropriate to our op-ed pages." 
 
 The comic strips feature a woman who goes to an abortion clinic and is confronted by several people who suggest she should be ashamed. Among them is a doctor who reads a script on behalf of Texas Gov. Rick Perry welcoming her to a "compulsory transvaginal exam," and a middle-aged legislator who calls her a "slut." 
 
 One panel equates the invasive procedure to rape and describes the device used to perform it as a "10-inch shaming wand." 
 
 "Our readers are accustomed to pointed political and social commentary in strips like `Doonesbury' and `Mallard Fillmore,'" Tom McNiff, managing editor of The Gainesville Sun and Ocala Star-Banner in central Florida, said in an emailed statement explaining the decision not to run the series. "But the language the author used to make his point in two of the strips was quite graphic for a general readership." 
 
 Trudeau said Friday that "it would have been a little surprising" if there hadn't been any pushback against the series. 
 
 "Abortion remains a deeply contentious subject. Having said that, the goal is definitely not to antagonize editors and get booted from papers," he said in an email to The Associated Press. "It's just an occupational risk." 
 
 Texas' law does not specify the type of sonogram a woman must receive, but a transvaginal ultrasound is necessary to meet requirements that the doctor show the woman an image of the fetus, describe its features and make the fetal heartbeat audible in the first trimester. The procedure uses a wand inserted in the vagina to yield an image instead of a wand rubbed over a woman's belly. 
 
 Asked for comment on the "Doonesbury" series, Perry spokesman Catherine Frazier said the governor is proud of his leadership on the sonogram law. 
 
 "The decision to end a life is not funny," Frazier said. "There is nothing comic about this tasteless interpretation of legislation we have passed in Texas to ensure that women have all the facts when making a life-ending decision." 
 
 Sue Roush, managing editor at the Universal UClick syndicate, said newspapers uncomfortable with the abortion law series have the option of a set of substitute strips. 
 
 Steve Shirk, manager editor of The Kansas City Star, said his paper would use the replacements in the comics section while moving the abortion series to the opinion page. 
 
 "We felt the content was too much for many of the readers of our family friendly comic page," Shirk said. "We felt that (op-ed) page was more appropriate for that story line." 
 
 Dennis Ryerson, editor of the Indianapolis Star, said the newspaper would use an earlier "Doonesbury" strip instead. 
 
 "We simply don't want to be part of the personalization and debasement of political discourse. We've had too much of that from all sides," Ryerson said. 
 
 Chris Mele, executive editor of the Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Pa., said the paper will run the replacement strips during the week, but the Texas series will appear March 18 on the front of its op-ed section. He said the paper would try to "have a dialogue" with its readers about the debate. 
 
 Universal UClick president Lee Salem said he wouldn't be surprised if 20 to 30 of the 1,400 newspapers that carry "Doonesbury" decided to opt out and run the replacements. 
 
 "Once every five or six months there's usually something in `Doonesbury' that causes a stir. Every two or three years there's something that causes a bigger stir," Salem said. "Historically, that's par for the course with `Doonesbury' because Garry explores topics on comics pages that are not normally there." 
 
 Six installments of "Doonesbury" satirizing the anti-abortion movie "The Silent Scream" were canceled in 1985 when the syndicate decided they were too controversial to be distributed. 
 
 Other states have enacted laws requiring pre-abortion ultrasounds, although Virginia removed a provision from its measure that specifically called for the invasive exam. The measure in its original form had become a target of national political columnists and the word "transvaginal" was mocked and parodied on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Matt Moore in Philadelphia; Mitch Stacy in Tampa Bay, Fla.; and Chris Tomlinson in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report. ||||| Report: Some papers won’t be running next week’s ‘Doonesbury’ strips 
 
 A Romenesko reader emails: “Next week’s ‘Doonesbury’ cartoons, on the Texas anti-abortion/mandatory ultrasound law, may cause some newspapers to use “Flashbacks” instead of the live cartoons.” 
 
 I asked around and was told that the Oregonian and Dallas Morning News are among the papers that have discussed pulling the strips. (I’ve left messages with editors at both newspapers to see what they’ve decided.) UPDATE: “We thought the strips were over the line for the comics pages and won’t be running them,” says Oregonian features editor JoLene Krawczak. “We’ll tell readers where they can read them online.” 
 
 UPDATE #2: The Dallas Morning News will run the strips, and have a story tomorrow about them. 
 
 UPDATE #3: Garry Trudeau talks about the strips. 
 
 The Chicago Tribune, which pulled “Doonesbury” strips in September and February, will be running them, says associate managing editor/entertainment Geoff Brown. 
 
 Here’s what’s in the strips: 
 
 Monday: Young woman arrives for her pre-termination sonogram, is told to take a seat in the shaming room, a middle-aged male state legislator will be right with her. 
 
 Tuesday: He asks her if this is her first visit to the center, she replies no, that she’s been using the contraceptive services for some time. He says, “I see. Do your parents know you’re a slut?” 
 
 Wednesday: A different male is reading to her about the transvaginal exam process. 
 
 Thursday: In the stirrups, she is telling a nurse that she doesn’t want a transvaginal exam. Doctor says “Sorry miss, you’re first trimester. The male Republicans who run Texas require that all abortion seekers be examined with a 10″ shaming wand.” She asks “Will it hurt?” Nurse says, “Well, it’s not comfortable, honey. But Texas feels you should have thought of that.” Doctor says, “By the authority invested in me by the GOP base, I thee rape.” 
 
 Friday: Doctor is explaining that the Texas GOP requires her to have an intimate encounter with her fetus. He begins describing it to her. Last panel, he says, “Shall I describe it’s hopes and dreams?” She replies, “If it wants to be the next Rick Perry, I’ve made up my mind.” 
 
 Saturday: Back in the reception area, she asks where she goes now for the actual abortion. Receptionist tells her there’s a 24-hour waiting period: “The Republican Party is hoping you get caught in a shame spiral and change your mind.” Last panel: She says, “A final indignity.” Receptionist replies, “Not quite. Here’s your bill.” 
 
 Is your newspaper using “Flashback” strips next week? Let me know at Jim@JimRomenesko.com. 
 
 Amy Nelson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press emails: “Re: Doonesbury strips. We are subbing in print at the Pioneer Press and directing readers to online if they want to read them. Not appropriate for Comics pages with its mix of Garfield and The Duplex and not a great solution to move them to the Opinion pages for a week. Just made the decision a few minutes ago.” 
 
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– Doonesbury is making waves again, with several newspapers around the country planning to skip the comic strip next week or move it to the editorial pages. The reason? Garry Trudeau lampoons a Texas law requiring women to get an ultrasound before abortion, and he pulls few punches. "By the authority invested in me by the GOP base, I thee rape," says a doctor in one panel, according to a transcript at JimRomenesko.com. (The blog is keeping a running tab of newspapers bowing out.) "We felt the content was too much for many of the readers of our family friendly comic page," says an editor at the Kansas City Star, one of the papers moving the strip temporarily to the op-ed pages, reports AP. Others, including the Oregonian, won't run the strip at all in the print edition. Trudeau is unapologetic, reports Reuters: "This is happening in statehouses across the country," he says in an email. "It's lunacy, and lunacy, of course, is in my wheelhouse."