Has Broadsheet dropped a few IQ points? What does this vote count for? WHo cares about an internet poll? Between the "Twisty" debacle and the Fat Stripper embarrasment, and the cosmetics for cons, the broads over at Broadsheet sound far more like college freshman.

and all that implies...

I agree the original question on AOL's site was a little misleading, but it was featured smack in the middle of an article about the list, which explained that all women on the list were on it willingly and that Ms. staffers had called everyone on the list to verify they really wanted their names listed.

Also I was a little annoyed by the email I received from Ms., specifically this paragraph:

"We need your help to make AOL's polling numbers more accurately reflect what women are really thinking. Read the AP story at AOL.com, cast your vote, and let America know what you think."

Personally, I think it's great that these women have signed the petition and that Ms. is printing the list. I understand why they're doing it and I support it. However, asking Ms. readers to fill out an online poll is hardly going to make sure the numbers "accurately reflect what women are really thinking."

And, as the previous letter writer pointed out, an AOL online poll is hardly a reliable sampling technique.

Whether or not it's an "accurate" read on What The Women Of America Are Thinking is one thing. (Would help to have an accurate question to begin with.) But fact is, people do love to click little poll dots (without reading the article!) and see the results, which (reliable or not) they take to be a little Public Opinion Moment. And when those results are based on a skewed question, well, so is that Public Opinion Moment. And ... lots of people read the cover stories on AOL. AND, possibly walk away with a needlessly biased sense of the Ms. article and the issue in general. Which, in and of itself, will not necessary change the world for worse. But it's yet another potential blip of misinformation about the abortion rights movement, which add up, blip by blip, every day. If there's one, just one, we might be able to help temper by clicking a little dot, then why not?

Lynn, I see your point, but I don’t think that people clicking on the results make up a Public Opinion Moment – I would wager that anyone who bothers to answer this particular question made up their mind about the abortion issue a long time ago. And as far as I can tell, people have to actually click on the story headline to get to the poll, so it’s not like people are seeing the poll out of context of the article. I understand they may not read the entire article, but I assume that those clicking on the headline are at least somewhat interested in the story.

When I got the emails regarding this poll, my first thought was how bad it would look if Rush Limbaugh or Fox News decided to broadcast the fact that Ms. Magazine and the Feminist Majority sent emails to their email list (I got one from each of them) asking them to fill out the poll. So far 150,000 people have answered the poll. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the Fox News audience.

I don’t have a problem with Ms. asking AOL to re-write the polling question, but emailing Ms. and Feminist Majority members and asking them to answer the poll seems like stacking the deck to me and I'm pro-choice. I can only imagine how the other side would spin the story.

Glad to see a junior high school-quality poll confirms Ms. magazine readers love abortion and are proud of it.

Thanks for helping the rightwingers in their hour of need, retarded Ms. readers.

Glad to see feminism exposed for what it is - a bunch of old white female hippies trying to relive the "movement" of their youth.

I wouldn't be too worried about the poll except that these things sometimes morph into news story in which the headline will be "Americans shocked at Ms. abortions!" Or CNN will run a blurb on the ticker saying whatever percent of persons in an AOL poll didn't believe women should be open about their abortions or whatever. Maybe it doesn't make a difference, maybe it does. I do know that the majority of people think that the majority of Americans oppose abortion and would like Roe overturned (so too does Antonin Scalia but that's another story) when, in fact, poll numbers show the opposite. This impression comes from somewhere.

I'm a social scientist who is highly skeptical of polling data and this poll is a good representative of why I am skeptical. I agree that the wording in both versions is pretty senseless. Are the asking specifically about Ms. magazine's decision to print the names or the decision of the women to have their names printed?

You write "It's a bad idea" is currently leading "It's a good idea" by a small margin.

Not so.

Bad Idea is twice as high as Good Idea at this time.

And can you give yourself a star for commenting on your own article? Why not just put it in the article?

...trying to figure out why it's important to list whether one had an abortion. Is it a form of outing? So that readers can say, "Well, if so-and-so had one, I guess it's OK." or "If so-and-so had one, well, geez, I wouldn't want her punished"?

While I can see (but do not agree with) the logic of that mindset, I don't see any other upside.

I respect a woman's right to a safe and legal abortion but just don't get this tactic.