I always use the Oxford
comma. Not only does it look better—why
anyone ever thought that removing it was a good idea is beyond me—but not
using it can lead to confusion. Here's a specific example of why I
always use it.
A
recent article’s subtitle from the WSJ reads: “The group is in discussions with
Israel over
releasing 40 women, children, elderly and sick captives.” We don't know if “the group”
would be releasing only men who are "elderly and sick," or "men
who are elderly" and "men who are sick," but not
necessarily both. That’s a dramatic difference—especially if
you are, say, the parent of a man being held captive who is sick but not
elderly.
