Senators Trying to Determine if Abortion Bill Passed (update 2:45 a.m.)

[Melissa G]

17. Still a bit bleary. (Had an early meeting, please excuse any incoherence.)

I have been there for the time when we were turned away in the house with over 300 people in line who had driven from all over the state to testify which was last Thursday night into 3-4 am Friday morning.

Sunday, we sat in the house gallery late and into Monday morning watching the ludicrous debate with the inept Lauberburg making her blunders, esp the rape kit remark. House Dems did their best to stall it going to the Senate as slowly as possible so as to give the senate Dems the best set up situation for a filibuster.

Monday, was a lunch time call to action to watch Dem senators who were successful in avoiding a rules suspension which would have bypassed the 24 hour wait rule between a bill going from the House to the Senate.

Cecile Richards from the national Planned Parenthood flew down to put a national face on the early 9 am Tuesday rally. I had to be at work through the early rally. I got there Tuesday around five. I was going earlier, but my two grown daughters wanted to come with. We all three stayed until about 2:30 am Wednesday morning.

It was fairly packed at 5, totally full in the Senate gallery with a very long line snaking around into the rotunda. I wasn't planning on staying long since I had an evening meeting, so we went down to the overflow auditorium to watch what was happening on the big screen, which was fairly empty at 5. It soon filled to over flowing as well. Reports estimate the crowd in and around the capitol at close to 10,000 folks at the peak times. Wendy Davis and the attacks on her were 'must see TV' and given the importance of what was happening it quickly became clear, we would be staying until the end.

The protesters wearing orange all week have been making a point of being extremely kind, courteous and rule observant for the entire time. We only got rowdy when the rules had been so run over by the republicans that rowdiness and potential arrest were our only option for stopping the bill. This happened about 11:45pm Tuesday. The republican senators were going back on their commitments and basically ignoring the Dems and precluding them from doing the filibuster or anything else that would have been their rightful response. It was very sad, infuriating and difficult to watch happening.

People from the gallery responded and loudly. Followed by the hallway, rotunda and auditorium at least. We could hear all those shouts from where I was at underground in the Capitol extension. There may have also been noise on the South Steps. The chant in the auditorium for 15 minutes was call and response. "Who's House? Our House." It continued unabated until just after midnight, when we were sure the legal deadline had passed and we waited in the auditorium to see what they would do. First, they rammed the vote through and dated it before midnight despite the 12:02 time. That was later argued intensely and re thought as we waited outside on the South steps chanting Keep it safe, Keep it Legal and other relevant chants making our position clear to those Senators acting off camera and off mike inside. They ceded us victory at about 2:30, but reminded us they would be back soon and they will be.

I believe the courtesy we extended to the Texas Rangers were one of the reasons there were only 3 arrests. Sadly, one older long term Dem activist in the auditorium suffered an alleged stoke watching the irritating proceedings at 9 pm. She was quickly cared for and taken to a hospital and her family notified. Our prayers and well wishes go out to her.