I'm afraid it's a familiar tale:

Conservative has history of saying misogynist, Islamophobic, and/or racist BS.

Mainstream media outlet seeks to "expand the conversation" by hiring said-conservative for a by-line in that outlet.

Conservative's history of saying misogynist, Islamophobic, and/or racist BS continues. Because the mainstream media outlet just legitimized that "position" as "one of many that should be heard," not recognizing (until it was too late) that hiring a writer with those positions means emphatically that your publication finds those positions legitimate.

Mainstream media outlet fires conservative.

Conservative media screams bloody murder/First Amendment/liberal fascism.

Liberals say I told you so for the eleventy billionth time.

May I mention that all of these decisions are made by MEN?

In this particular case, Kevin Williamson has long said, repeatedly, that he thinks women who get abortions are murderers who should get the death penalty. He's said a lot of other terrible things too. If you need a list, Media Matters has one.

This is not an edgy alternative opinion. It is hatred of women on display, proudly. The termination of an unplanned pregnancy is legal, a woman's right to privacy and dignity and to earn a roof over her own head is not up for debate. And if men like Kevin Williamson could accidentally get pregnant, abortion would, as the bumper sticker says, be a sacrament.

Calling for the executions of one gender for making (what is almost always) a decision based on economic survival is misogyny.

And what about "moderates" like David French, who believe it is only the doctor providing the abortion who should face execution for murder? Roy Edroso puts this in appropriate perspective:

..the doctor is the BABY KILLER RRRARAGH whom we will STONE MASH KILL JESUS ARRGH and the mother, poor benighted soul, will just live in the Handmaid's Tale hellscape we thus create for her.

Forcing women to carry unplanned and unaffordable pregnancies to term is torture. Torture.
And conveniently leaving out the sexual actions of men who impregnate women is, you guessed it, misogyny.

If you have a penis, and therefore will never be pregnant, or if you are a woman and it is not YOUR pregnancy, unless your position is "let the woman decide." Just. Shut. Up.

This isn't about civility or debate or reasonableness. You have no voice in this. Get over it, boys. Or don't. Die with your resentment intact.

So now the Atlantic wakes up yesterday and realizes what they've done and fires Williamson after one column. Que the outrage.

Erick Erickson as usual is particularly adorable:

To which I replied:

Again, Roy Edroso has a great post on this kerfuffle and it's worth the click (h/t Tengrain)

UPDATE: "It's just his opinion, Fran, why are you so freaked out about one guy's opinion?"