Thread in support of Sen Davis who must filibuster (no breaks) 13 hours to kill TX abortion bill [View all]

[cali]

Texas abortion law won't go through if 13-hour filibuster succeeds

Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) must speak nonstop for 13 hours – without bathroom breaks or leaning on anything – if she wants to halt passage of a major abortion bill that would solidify Texas’ status on a growing list of states passing restrictive abortion measures.

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http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2013/0625/Texas-abortion-law-won-t-go-through-if-13-hour-filibuster-succeeds

UPDATE 2:45: Sen. Davis continues her filibuster at the Senate, still reading from testimony denied at last week's House committee hearing. Davis wept reading particularly emotional testimony; several observers noted that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst chatting cheerfully on phone while Davis spoke. Latest rumor that there may be a move to cut off debate.

Worth noting is that the testimony from hundreds of Texas citizens, primarily women, is that it is marked by thoughtful and knowledgable commentary on not only the abortion issue, but the personal experiences of women who have had to make the difficult choice of seeking an abortion, often doing so in conditions designed to make it even more difficult and dangerous.

UPDATE 1:12pm: After a brief interruption when a man shouted "Abortion is genocide … if you really cared about women you would ban all abortion" from the gallery (he was ejected), Sen. Davis continues to speak, now reading from the testimony of witnesses who were not allowed to speak in House committee hearing last Thursday, because chair Rep. Byron Cook ruled they had become "repetitive."

A little after 11am, when the Texas Senate was gaveled into order, SB5 was "laid out" by its sponsor, Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, and then Davis rose "to humbly give voice to thousands of Texans."

Davis will have to speak essentially nonstop, with no breaks of any kind, until midnight, if Senate Bill 5 – a bill that would greatly restrict access to abortion and basic women's health care – is to be blocked from passage in this special session. The Republican leadership chose not to call up pending transportation and capital punishment bills, which would have passed – suggesting that Gov. Rick Perry intends to call another special session immediately or shortly after this one ends, with additional legislative "reason" to do so.

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http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/news/2013-06-25/senate-filibuster-in-progress/