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Guest Phailadelphia

TX Sen Wendy Davis currently in 11th hour of filibuster

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Guest Phailadelphia

The Texas legislature introduced a bill that would ban all abortions after 20 weeks and close approximately 90% of the state's abortion clinics. The House passed the bill early this week and it reached the Senate floor for debate and a possible vote today. Senator Wendy Davis began her filibuster at 11:19AM this morning. Under Texas filibuster rules, she must not stop talking for more than 1 minute and is not allowed to eat, drink, or use the bathroom. She cannot sit, lean, or otherwise prop herself up against anything for support.

 

She's going on 11 hours now. If she makes it to midnight, the bill is scrapped until for two years.

 

Fuck yeah Wendy Davis!

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Abortion laws is just another bullcrap thing we don't need. That last thing we need is more people having kids that don't want them.

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Guest Phailadelphia

I thought she already was kicked off.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/25/wait-how-did-texas-stop-wendy-davis-filibuster/

 

Even if she was, good for her for trying to do whats right.

 

Not quite. The Republicans are trying EXTREMELY hard to find technicalities on which they can shut down her filibuster right now. Waiting to see where this is going to go.

 

Edit: Attorney General Dewhurst trying to circumvent Senate rules on technicalities. Senate Dems calling him on his shit. Senator Judith Zaffirini seriously testing Dewhurst's patience right now.

Edited by Phailadelphia

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Guest Phailadelphia

Senator Kirk Watson talking now. I met him last week! Really nice guy.

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Guest Phailadelphia

Ok here's an update on the final 45 minutes of the filibuster.

 

Wendy Davis was kicked off the mic for 3 strikes of "germaneness," which include talking about things off-topic, leaning, resting, sitting, whatever. Senator Watson spoke for a solid 25 minutes on "germaneness" from the rulebook, then Senators Zaffirini and West use parliamentary inquiries and other technicalities to delay a vote. At 11:45, Dewhurst attempted to call a vote. Realizing the desperation of what was going on, the hundreds watching from the gallery erupted in noise. Dewhurst cannot call roll for a vote without order in the Senate. The people continued cheering for 15 minutes straight until midnight. At midnight it got incredibly loud.

 

So, it's a win right? Nope. The Senators were at the lecturn arguing with Dewhurst (he's the attorney general, btw. The President of the Senate). After midnight Dewhurst called a vote and the bill passed. AFTER MIDNIGHT. WHICH IS ILLEGAL. AGAINST THE FUCKING RULES.

 

I don't know what happens now.

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Seems like the Republicans are arguing that because of the lack of order, they are able to push a bill through past midnight, or something to that effect. Ultimately it comes down to what the laws are, and as you said on Facebook, Phail, this will certainly make for an interesting lawsuit.

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Guest Phailadelphia

Update: The Senate has not adjourned, so they are still in session. AG Dewhurst is in his office currently. Nothing but total confusion right now. The Democrats didn't even get to vote, so how could it have even passed? I don't know anymore. I'm staying up until this thing is decided though.

 

Edit: RT @JimVertuno AP has video of screen changing vote from 6/26 to 6/25. #txlege

 

Screen caps of the Senate website before/after editing.

79yr.jpg

Edited by Phailadelphia

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As you said, there seems to be just mass confusion. So I will wait to comment on the current happenings until... well, I know what is actually happening.

 

Good on Ms. Davis, though. Stand up (literally) for what you believe in and you will make waves, not ripples.

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Guest Phailadelphia

The Senators are broken up into their caucuses right now. Dewhurst huddled with the parliamentarian and the clerk. For the love of god please hurry up.

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Under pressure or not, and whether they flip-flopped or not.. If that is the law, they chose the right course of action.

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Great effort by this woman...the world needs more politicians like her :yep:

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I have no faith in politicians. I really don't give a fuck about abortion with all these economic issues we're facing and the fact that our government is spying on it's citizens. This is probably nothing more than political posturing, elections are coming up after all. Fuck this lady and all other politicians.

 

Also, anyone painting either party as the good guy or the bad guy is pretty absurd. Doesn't matter what party they're with, all any of them are concerned with is staying in office.

Edited by seanbrock
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Guest Phailadelphia

Yall know my position on abortion. Its just really sad that somehow we think its a good thing that abortion goes on. This law needed to fail if what you said is correct, that it would ban all abortions with no exceptions, as there are certain scenarios where it should be allowed.

 

But its not something to celebrate that we have a nation where we think killing children in the womb is not only okay, its just normal.

 

Also, why can't they just take a vote tomorrow? And why do the people in the stands get to literally shout for 15 minutes and prevent them from taking a vote?

 

Debating abortion on life/death/murder terms is the wrong approach imo, but that's neither here nor there. From what I understand, once the bill is dead it must be proposed again, undergo all the same litigation and debate again by the House and Senate, and then be put up for a vote. Texas is in a special session right now, so I don't think there's time for all that. And the state and the country will be watching the Texas legislature a lot more carefully after this.

 

Spectators in the gallery are not permitted to make any noise or they risk being removed. They began screaming the last 15 minutes because Dewhurst basically said "fuck the rules," ignored all the Democratic Senators, and attempted to call roll for a vote. But he has to have order to call the roll. Realizing this was happening and that there's no way the few DPS troopers that were there could remove them all from the gallery in 15 minutes, they essentially started a citizen's filibuster. Dewhurst tried a few times to shut them up but every time he did they just got louder. It was pretty awesome.

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What I don't understand is why the fact that it didn't pass until the 26th means its dead. That's an odd rule to have, if someone can legitimately filibuster, (props for doing it the old-fashioned way, I like that), just for 24 hours and keep the bill from being passed, I'd almost start training someone to do that as soon as it was obvious that this might be the case.

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I support Wendy Davis' purpose, but of all the uproar, I still find it hilarious that people who oppose any changes in the way abortion is handled legally seem to think that it's strictly women's rights when a conception holds two people responsible.

 

Last time I checked, a man AND a woman are responsible for a conception. At the same time, much of the pro-life agenda that's exposed to society seems to only hold women responsible for abortions, as well.

 

Such a grey area. I can't wait until one side is willing to acknowledge the presence of a father.

Edited by BwareDWare94
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I'm not necessarily for abortion, I just don't believe in governing what goes on in the body (at all). I really wish more people would think like that - that you actually have the ability to do what you want with your body without the government coming in and saying "What! Nope nope nope! Wrong! STOP! This Act says we we have sovereignty over your body!"

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It's a child. It's not like your stomach or your liver, it's another person. Extinguishing that life should be something that is done only in the most drastic of situations, not casually simply because "you aren't ready for it."

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It's a child. It's not like your stomach or your liver, it's another person. Extinguishing that life should be something that is done only in the most drastic of situations, not casually simply because "you aren't ready for it."

 

What drastic situations? Rape or if the child puts the mothers life in danger? The only other reasons I can think they would want to get an abortion is because they simply don't want a child or isn't ready for it.

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It's a child. It's not like your stomach or your liver, it's another person. Extinguishing that life should be something that is done only in the most drastic of situations, not casually simply because "you aren't ready for it."

 

That's entirely subjective and based on your definition of a human. A fetus grows into a child at some point during the pregnancy, but I don't believe the fetus is itself a child.

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That's entirely subjective and based on your definition of a human. A fetus grows into a child at some point during the pregnancy, but I don't believe the fetus is itself a child.

 

It's a fine line and it is subjective based off when the child is actually alive. But in the same sense, it's interfering and stopping a life cycle. It's preventing a life from being born which is still murder to me. So technically, it's still a child (to me) but just in a pre-evolved state.

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Guest Phailadelphia

What I don't understand is why the fact that it didn't pass until the 26th means its dead. That's an odd rule to have, if someone can legitimately filibuster, (props for doing it the old-fashioned way, I like that), just for 24 hours and keep the bill from being passed, I'd almost start training someone to do that as soon as it was obvious that this might be the case.

 

The session ended at midnight.

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It's discouraging that 40 years after Roe v Wade the abortion debate hasn't changed one iota. People are still debating it as life & death and what have you. It's mind-boggling that this debate hasn't evolved in a more intelligent manner.

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