Linney Uston says:

I've seen polls which range from 60% to 70% of respondants who favor banning intact dilation and extraction abortions, far larger than the percentages who oppose such a ban. It is therefore an anti-majoritarian stance that Broadsheet is taking.

I am not trying be snarky or facetious when I ask, "So what?"

One of the fundamental principles of American life is that not everything should be based on majority rule. Majority rule was seen by the founders as a potential source of tyranny. That is why certain rights are intended to protect the minority from the passions of the majority. So pointing out that a particular stance is anti-majoritarian ignores the central issue of whether abortion rights should be considered a fundamental right personal to a woman.

If you believe, as I do, that abortion relates to a woman's fundamental rights over her body, it is irrelevant what the majority thinks. The majority should not have a say in the woman's personal medical decisions. You may disagree as to whether abortion is a fundamental right that should be immune to majority control, but that is where the debate lies. Just saying that Broadsheet is taking an anti-majoritarian stance does not really say anything about whether Broadsheet is right or wrong.

I understand the larger point about sexualized clothing marketed towards children, but let me speak up for a moment in defense of thongs. Certainly, thongs may be "provocative" if visible over the top of one's skirt or slacks. But they also serve the unprovocative purpose of preventing the horror of visible panty lines. It seems to me perfectly legit for a girl in her teen years or younger to want to avoid a situation in which others can see the outline of her underwear, which is not only unattractive but kind of embarrassing.

It seems to me that clothing that is not visible to others should be the girl's own business.

As for uniforms: I think forcing children to wear uniforms can be de-humanizing and even humiliating. Uniforms differentiate adults from children in a way that emphasizes the power adults wield over children, and serves to prop up an authoritarian model of education. A dress code (similar to what many adults have to abide by at work) would be preferable.

The whole debate about whether women are funny or not is maddening. There is no way to really argue it. There is nothing especially funny about saying, "We are funny! Really, we are!" Yet, the stereotype about women not being funny has gotta discourage a lot of women from exploring endeavors like stand-up comedy or humor writing.

My personal observation is that women are often hysterically funny, but we are less likely to tell jokes with a punch line and we are also less likely to hold the floor with a funny story in a mixed-sex group. My mother almost makes me wet myself because she is so hilarious, but her humor is in the details as she tells the story rather than in a sudden punch line. And I have never seen her tell one of her thigh slapping anecdotes to a mixed sex group. I think women's hilarity is a well kept secret that men often don't really know about. I laugh the most in informal all-female settings when funny women hold forth for each other's appreciation.

I agree that Shouts & Murmurs is totally unfunny. I don't even bother anymore.

Anonymous at 1:36 p.m. is upset that Broadsheet hasn't linked to Glenn Sacks on this issue and didn't write about this issue two months ago. This is just getting ridiculous. First of all, Broadsheet is a women's issues blog. So it is ridiculous for the men's rights crew to constantly complain on this blog that Broadsheet isn't covering the issues THEY want to see covered. If Broadsheet isn't covering what you think is most important, why do you keep reading it and commenting on it? And why don't you read blogs that are more focused on the issues you care about -- or better yet, start your own.

It's also kind of funny that when Broadsheet covers a men's issue, you have to whine about how Broadsheet didn't present it the way you wanted it or when you wanted it. Methinks anonymous has some control issues. And that a lot of the trolls on this blog really just don't like the idea of feminist women blogging at all.

Women who have ambitions outside the traditional mothering role often must rely on their partners (usually male) to share or even take on the bulk of child care duties. A cultural expectation that children should always be with their mothers (when traveling, grocery shopping, or going to the playground) hurts women who don't want to be confined to that role, and hurts fathers who want the opportunity to play that role.

We can be savvy and watchful of children's safety without automatically assuming that all men are potential abusers. Sheesh.

If Broadsheet can't link to him, then don't blame us when we tell you how cloistered and ghettoized you have made yourself.

Wishful thinking.

This is a blog by women, so I think it is safe to assume that the red stars are issued by women.