Every once in a while something so trivial as a comic strip makes a rather profound statement. I think many times, just as in other arenas of creativity i.e., painting, photography, music, poetry, etc. comic strip authors use their talents to make political statements, and they should, it’s the perfect outlet.
My favorite comic strip is Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis. I can’t place my finger on any one particular quality about the strip that “does it for me”, I just like the way it’s written, and the interaction between the characters is nothing short of brilliant, in my opinion. Pearls isn’t known for platforming a political message that I can tell. In other words, I can’t tell where the author stands politically through reading the strip even when he broaches political personalities and subjects. Pastis I think pokes fun at things in the news more so than puts forth his political ideology.
A Pearls comic from a few days ago really took hold of me. I wish I knew it was intentional imagery, but I don’t.
Pearls Before Swine, By Stephan Pastis
I don’t know where Pastis stands on abortion, but he makes visual what I believe is known to everyone.: Abortion takes a life. I have heard the arguments abortion proponents and defenders use to justify elective abortion, and frankly, they reek of coercion.
Here’s what I mean. The justifications for elective abortion at some point must do one of two things: make the thing being aborted not a human/person, or question its aliveness. But I think people know instinctively that abortion takes a human life, and they must be talked out of that intuition. If this weren’t the case, why would anyone need to argue for abortion?
In this case, Death realizes that for him to be wearing a pro-life shirt is counterintuitive, and the irony cannot be missed by readers.
Sifting Reality 
Hmmm….this was interesting. I followed the article up until I caught whiff of sanctimonious faith. I was quite distressed about to feel as I rather like the article, so I decided to read your about page. Politically I lean to the right. Religiously, I am a liberal Christian. I unabashedly support gay marriage and I am unapologetically Pro-Choice. We are complete opposites but I get what your saying. I decided I like you, even if we are worlds/beliefs apart.
If I may ask, at what point did you detect “sanctimonious faith”? I appreciate the praise.
The comment of reeking of coercion.
You view that as a faith statement? Within the context of that point I made?
I do. If all there arguments hint at coercion then why not the pro-life ones too.
The pro-life arguments have science and biology on their side where the pro-choice side must use word play and definitional creativity in order to garner support, because the science is not on their side.
But I still don’t see where faith comes into it, unless you mean pro-lifers have faith in biological science and embryology.
The same science and biology that on the side of pro-life is one and the same with that of pro-choice. Their is also the issue of their contrasting philosophies. Is it not your faith that makes you “unabashedly Pro-life”?
Actually random, it isn’t but should be. The science and biology recognize that a new human life begins at conception, and this is undisputed amongst embryologists, only abortion supporters. And this is precisely the problem.
But as far as faith driving my stance on abortion, I think this is irrelevant to the arguments. If you peruse my essays on abortion, making a case against it, I never invoke religion. A case can be made without it.
Hey John! He’s not really that far off. If one’s faith requires honesty, then to recognize the truth of the biological facts supporting the pro-life position can be said to be driven by one’s faith.