April 6, 2012 - They're not all going to be funny. This comic more than any so far probably highlights the point of the comic overall and the burden of choice placed on an individual. This is not an easy choice for Patience, and I can't imagine it's an easy decision for anyone. But for the first time since her introduction, Patience is actually thinking about it from an emotional standpoint, which isn't a bad thing, as I can't imagine anyone not having an emotional reaction if placed in Patience's situation.

Meanwhile, I realize there's some controversy over the mandatory meetings with therapists that many states require before having an abortion. I'm generally in favor of the idea, not because I think a therapist should be used to dissuade a patient from having an abortion (and Mary will sign off on most patients she sees, as I believe therapists in her occupation should), but Mary's there to make sure that patient isn't coming from an abusive relationship or traumatic experience that led the woman to the clinic. Mary's job isn't to force the patient to think about her situation (though that often becomes a consequence of her involvement), but rather ensure that patient has a support system both before and after the procedure and potentially become one (or direct her towards one) if the patient does not.

Mary is probably the most professional member of the clinic's staff. And incidentally Mary was probably the character who received the most positive response from the pilot I wrote with Emily, somewhat to my surprise. I honestly find Mary kinda dull, but it's the Bert the muppet kinda dull that has a lot of fascinating idiosyncrasies to it. I'd hardly call her boring, but I was surprised and kinda pleased Emily's and my friends seemed to respond so well to her.

Anyway, I'll probably talk more about Mary next week as her appearances then begin to reveal more about her character.

-D