Three years later, almost to the day, Wendy Davis’s 13-hour filibuster has succeeded.
In a decisive 5-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down the strict abortion laws in Texas that caused more than half of the state's abortion clinics to close. Texas had imposed onerous requirements on abortion clinics, requiring that doctors who perform abortions maintain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and that all abortions be performed in hospital-like surgical centers. The majority (consisting of Justices Kennedy, Breyer, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan) decided the restrictions create an unconstitutional burden on women seeking to end their pregnancies.The Supreme Court voted down stringent Texas abortion restrictions that will also affect anti-choice laws in many other states.
In an interview with MSNBC, Wendy Davis expanded:
Here’s a bit of happy nostalgia from a 2013 diary by Daily Kos community member Nomandates.
Wendy is in the 5th hour of her filibuster of SB5. She has been reading from the personal testimony and stories sent to her from across Texas. Some of the very moving points from these stories so far this morning:
"You say you have treated me and the others here with respect. Let me tell you what respect is: It's not calling a special session to try and ram through anti-choice legislation."
To give some idea of what that 13-hour filibuster entailed:
Filibusters are governed by the Senate rules and by precedents interpreting the rules.
- Rule 3.02 prohibits eating or drinking in the Senate chamber.
- Rule 4.01 requires a member of the Senate to stand at his or her desk to address the Senate. The member speaking may not sit, lean, or use a desk or chair in any way. Bathroom breaks are not allowed.
- Rule 4.03, which governs the interruption of a member who is speaking, allows other senators to raise objections if a speaker does not confine his or her remarks to the issue under consideration or if his or her voice is inaudible.
And then the announcement… (Just one of the hundreds of videos taken)
It’s was a good day then and a good day today. And so we relish in these all too rare victories. Many thanks to Wendy Davis. And thank you to the five Supreme Court Justices who voted to protect women’s choice on June 27, 2016.
Add Your Name Here to thank Justices Kennedy, Breyer, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan for standing up and striking down the Republican lawmakers who continuously try to attack the reproductive rights/choices of American women.