Yes, medication abortion is in trouble

benfell

Gilead

Abortion


Fig. 1. Sign at demonstration in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, May 3, 2022. Janni Rye, via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

An anti-abortion judge is set to rule on a case where he could override the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of one of the drugs used to induce a medication abortion.[1] Some clinics are ready to go to a one pill regimen, which is less reliable and more prone to induce cramping, should he do so.[2]

Caroline Kitchener and Ann E. Marimow, “The Texas judge who could take down the abortion pill,” Washington Post, February 25, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/25/texas-judge-abortion-pill-decision/

Academic repression


Fig. 1. “The Evolution of Intellectual Freedom.” Comic by Jorge Cham, 2011, via Episyllogism[3] fair use.

Marymount University trustees voted unanimously Friday to phase out majors in English, history and several other fields that the Catholic school in Northern Virginia says have drawn low student interest.

The 20-0 vote, according to a university spokesman, represents a watershed moment for a regional university of about 3,700 students that is seeking to increase enrollment and revenue. It also shows the continuing vulnerability of humanities in higher education at a time when pressure is high to deliver degrees that many students and families perceive as more valuable in the job market. . . .

The majors to be eliminated are art, English, history, mathematics, philosophy, secondary education, sociology, and theology and religious studies. A BA program in economics will be eliminated, but the BS in that field will remain. The university is also cutting a master’s program in English and the humanities.[4]

Nick Anderson, “Marymount University cuts English, several other majors,” Washington Post, February 24, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/02/24/marymount-university-humanities-majors-eliminated/

White Christian nationalism (Trumpism)


Fig. 1. In terms of geographic area, Pennsylvania is very much a white Christian nationalist kind of place. Photograph by author, January 5, 2023.

“Scott Adams is a disgrace,” Darrin Bell, creator of “Candorville” and the first Black artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, told The Post on Saturday. “His racism is not even unique among cartoonists.” Bell compared Adams’s views to the Jim Crow era and more recent examples of White supremacy, including “millions of angry people trying to redefine the word ‘racism’ itself.”

In fact, Adams did exactly that on his YouTube show Saturday. He offered a long, quasi-Socratic defense of his comments, which he said were taken out of context, and seemed to define racism as essentially any political activity. “Any tax code change is racist,” he said at one point in the show. He denounced racism against “individuals” and racist laws, but said, “You should absolutely be racist whenever it’s to your advantage. Every one of you should be open to making a racist personal career decision.”[5]

“Oh no, my enemies are sending me lots of energy. Oh no, what will I do with all of that attention?” [Scott Adams] stated before hinting at retaliation.

“Here’s what’s interesting about this situation. Anyone who knows my actual opinion doesn’t wanna give it more attention. So it’s gonna be sort of a dicey situation if they cancel me. You don’t wanna give me more attention. That’s not gonna work for whatever you’re trying to achieve.,” he stated.[6]

In urging “white people . . . to get the hell away from Black people,”[7] Scott Adams sounds like a paleoconservative, advocating segregation.

The shift in [Scott] Adams’s public image was initially intertwined with his praise for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Since then, he has identified himself with increasingly extremist viewpoints.

In 2019, he apologized to the victims of a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California for a tweet in which he used the tragedy to advertise an app he created. Adams also claimed in June 2020 that the “Dilbert” television show was canceled because he’s White, adding that it “was the third job I lost for being White.” He tweeted in January 2022 that he planned to “self-identify as a Black woman.” He has suggested Americans were brainwashed into supporting Ukraine, and praised anti-vaccine advocates last month.

Last May, Adams used “Dilbert” to mock workplace diversity and transgender politics through a new character called Dave the Black Engineer.[8]

But a lot of this sounds paranoid. I’d say he’s unhinged, like a lot of White Christian nationalists. It’s certainly deplorable, but it’s also regrettable.

Chris Quinn, “We are dropping the Dilbert comic strip because of creator Scott Adams’ racist rant: Letter from the Editor,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 24, 2023, https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/02/we-are-dropping-the-dilbert-comic-strip-because-of-creator-scott-adams-racist-rant-letter-from-the-editor.html

Tom Boggioni, “Dilbert creator lashes out after papers pull his strip: ‘Dicey situation,’” Raw Story, February 25, 2023, https://www.rawstory.com/dilbert-creator-lashes-out-after-papers-pull-his-strip-dicey-situation/

Thomas Floyd and Michael Cavna, “‘Dilbert’ dropped by The Post, other papers, after cartoonist’s racist rant,” Washington Post, February 25, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/02/25/scott-adams-dilbert-canceled/

Right-wing militias

Police White supremacist gangs


Fig. 2. Image credited to Darnella Frazier, made from a video posted to Facebook, of Minneapolis white supremacist gangster Derek Chauvin’s knee on George Floyd’s neck, May 25, 2020, via ABC News,[9] fair use.

There is a “common thread of the cities that I am aware of where this is happening,” [Saint Louis Mayor Tishaura] Jones said. “Where there has been a concerted attempt to strip power [over local police] away from local leadership, the mayors are Black.” She pointed to Kansas City, Missouri, where residents have been fighting to regain control of the police department from the state, and Jackson, Mississippi, a majority-Black city that could see the creation of a separate court system and police force appointed by white state officials if Republican lawmakers get their way.[10]

Akela Lacy, “Bristling Under Progressive Mayor, St. Louis Police Seek State Takeover,” Intercept, February 24, 2023, https://theintercept.com/2023/02/24/st-louis-missouri-police-department/

Human Science

Inquiry

Quantitative
Artificial idiocy

Drew Harwell, “Tech’s hottest new job: AI whisperer. No coding required,” Washington Post, February 25, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/02/25/prompt-engineers-techs-next-big-job/

  1. [1]Caroline Kitchener and Ann E. Marimow, “The Texas judge who could take down the abortion pill,” Washington Post, February 25, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/25/texas-judge-abortion-pill-decision/↩
  2. [2]Susan Rinkunas, “If the Main Abortion Pill Is Banned This Week, Providers Are Prepared to Go Off-Label,” Jezebel, February 7, 2023, https://jezebel.com/mifepristone-ban-misoprostol-only-abortions-in-the-us-1850083070↩
  3. [3]Bob Lane, “Academic Freedom,” Episyllogism, November 3, 2016, https://boblane.com/2016/11/03/academic-freedom/↩
  4. [4]Nick Anderson, “Marymount University cuts English, several other majors,” Washington Post, February 24, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/02/24/marymount-university-humanities-majors-eliminated/↩
  5. [5]Thomas Floyd and Michael Cavna, “‘Dilbert’ dropped by The Post, other papers, after cartoonist’s racist rant,” Washington Post, February 25, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/02/25/scott-adams-dilbert-canceled/↩
  6. [6]Tom Boggioni, “Dilbert creator lashes out after papers pull his strip: ‘Dicey situation,’” Raw Story, February 25, 2023, https://www.rawstory.com/dilbert-creator-lashes-out-after-papers-pull-his-strip-dicey-situation/↩
  7. [7]Scott Adams, quoted in Tom Boggioni, “Dilbert creator lashes out after papers pull his strip: ‘Dicey situation,’” Raw Story, February 25, 2023, https://www.rawstory.com/dilbert-creator-lashes-out-after-papers-pull-his-strip-dicey-situation/↩
  8. [8]Thomas Floyd and Michael Cavna, “‘Dilbert’ dropped by The Post, other papers, after cartoonist’s racist rant,” Washington Post, February 25, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/02/25/scott-adams-dilbert-canceled/↩
  9. [9]Catherine Thorbecke, “Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes, complaint says,” ABC News, May 29, 2020, https://abcnews.go.com/US/derek-chauvin-knee-george-floyds-neck-minutes-complaint/story?id=70961042↩
  10. [10]Akela Lacy, “Bristling Under Progressive Mayor, St. Louis Police Seek State Takeover,” Intercept, February 24, 2023, https://theintercept.com/2023/02/24/st-louis-missouri-police-department/↩

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