Anyone watching Texas senator Wendy Davis filibuster the anti-abortion bill?

[MmeLindor]

You can watch here

She has to talk till midnight, so that is 13hours. Without a break, without sitting down.

It has definitely opened some people's eyes, especially GOP's attempts to cheat the vote last night.

My aunt's neighbour is a Republican voter - albeit not a really hardline one - and she commented to aunt how GOP's direction and their dirty tactics have pushed her to the blue side.

I'm sure there must be others like her.

There is also this group
www.thisispersonal.org/

That is their webpage and they have a fb page, not specifically for Texas but for women's reproductive rights. Search 'this is personal' on fb and they will come up.

For some reason my nexus is not letting me cut and paste fb links..,

The fight in North Dakota goes on.

Personally, I fail to see how such restricted abortion law can be legal, as surely it goes against Roe -v- Wade?

That's really encouraging, freedom (well, I guess what'd be really encouraging would be her not voting Republican before, but ...).

Can they repeal Roe-v-Wade at a state level, or is it one of those that affects everyone?

Some of these republicans really are dirty tricksters aren't they? That whole time amendment thing - if the democrats had done that you can bet republicans would have caused some serious repercussions by now... witchhunts, arrests, hauling someone's arse through court. They are nasty, and used to getting their own way.

Good on Wendy for fighting the good fight though - I hope they can pull something out of the bag this time...

You'd think, wouldn't you, Tess... but I imagine someone would have to take a case all the way to the Supreme Court to prove that the Dakota law is unconstitutional. (Am far from an expert on US law, though.)

Contact form for Rick Perry

Now what to say...

Dear Rick Perry,

You are a cheating, misogynistic cunt.

Love, the good people of Britain.

xx

Edam - you're right, it needs someone to take it to the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) and prove it to be unconstitutional.

Much like today, of course, when couples challenged DOMA and Prop 8. SCOTUS ruled both unconstitutional.

They tried to attack Roe v Wade and then realised that they don't need to overturn it. They just need to make it impossible for clinics to actually operate legally and tag on restrictions to accessing abortions. Essential things like setting out in law the size that the toilets in the clinics should be or making parental consent essential for under 18s. It's even sadder when you realise that a heavy percentage of the women seeking abortions wouldn't actually be in that position if they could access contraception or the morning after pill, which the same groups restrict access to.

That is so disturbing, just.

I was talking to a US friend and being stunned all over again at how hard it is even to access contraception.

Malenky - no they can't repeal Roe -v- Wade at state level, as it was a Supreme Court ruling.

If they actually cared about women but were anti abortion they wouldn't be making it incredibly difficult for women to get reliable contraception. The worst seems to be trying to access the MAP.

Mississippi

The women hardest hit if the number of clinics is cut from 42 to 5, is low-income/poor women who won't live near a clinic. They will not be able to afford travel to the next clinic.

And what do GOP hate just as much as abortion? Poor people having babies they can't afford.

Beggars belief.

North Dakota

Imagine a legislative chamber, populated largely by women, debating on whether or not men should have the right to have a vasectomy, and the legislature deciding that it doesn't approve of men having the final say in their own bodily autonomy and reproductive status.

Imagine a woman saying, 'Men who feel they want a vasectomy are too vulnerable to be able to make the right decision on this. It's not good for society. So we'll decide for them. And they're not allowed to.'

MRD

It can't be overturned at the state level. It is a decision of the US Supreme Court and applies nationwide as it is based on the US constitution; only the Supreme Court could overturn it. The states do have some range in which to regulate abortion as they do other medical issues. Anti-choice interests are intent on trying to use this regulatory authority to pass state laws that narrow availability of abortion. Some of these are very suspect in light of Roe, but once enacted then pro-choice interests have to raise and spend money on legal challenges.

Thanks scone and freedom. Sorry ... I should know, must've been one of the many West Wing scenes where I wasn't fully concentrating on the dialogue.

line - yes, exactly!

How is it Perry can call a special session? I thought the whole point of the filibuster was that the issue would be off the table for a good while if she succeeded?

By the way, as we are linking to abortion support charities II'll just mention www.abortionsupport.org.uk/ They provide financial assistance and accommodation for Irish/Northern Irish women who are forced to travel to the UK for the procedure.

www.abortionsupport.org.uk/

Click link, yes women of Ireland need our support as well.

This enrages me it really does, keep politics and religion out of my uterous thanks very much.

SingingSilver How often a governor can call a special session depends on state law. Perhaps Wendy Davis and her supporters hoped he would not call another one if they prevailed on the filibuster, but I am not surprised at all that he is doing it.

BTW, it has been all over the news here in the US today, mostly very positive coverage, so there has definitely been some much needed education and consciousness raising.

Silver - they cut Wendy off about 15 minutes before midnight, as she was talking about past abortion legislation (that a scan had to be shown to each woman before the abortion), and the rich, white American men in charge said it wasn't relevant to the discussion. They said she had to stay on point and she didn't. (How talking about past abortion legislation isn't relevant to a
debate on abortion legislation I don't know).

That's when the crowd took over by booing, jeering, heckling etc. GOP tried to conduct the vote and role call while the gallery were protesting.

GOP are saying they weren't prevented by Wendy Davis, as in their eyes, she didn't filibuster until midnight. They're saying they were prevented from voting due to the "unruly mob," and therefore warrants a new session.

Of course, there are many who will argue that Wendy Davis didn't veer off topic, so I can see it being challenged.

This could run and run.

Although having said that, Perry could still call another session, even if they hadn't cut Wendy off.

If you are looking for people to follow on Twitter - Irin Carmon (@irincarmon) is great. I was in Kenya with her last year and she has done loads of work in this area and is v well informed. She writes for salon.com and is soon to be moving to MSNBC.

Also Michelle Goldberg (@michelleinbklyn), who wrote The Means of Reproduction. It is a great book, which looks at the global battle over reproductive rights, including contraception, abortion, FGM.

I don't know enough about US political system, but I presume that the GOP will push their agenda through eventually.