Quote:

A Texas senator, Wendy Davis, has launched a marathon filibuster of an abortion bill that would severely restrict abortion access in the state. If she is to be successful, Davis must talk for 13 hours, during which she will not be allowed to sit, lean or take any breaks to go to the bathroom or eat. She is only allowed to stop speaking when listening to questions. The Democrat senator is attempting to prevent the stringent bill from reaching the desk of Texas governor Rick Perry. The bill would ban abortion at 20 weeks gestation, place limits on abortion-inducing drugs and introduce other restrictions that advocates say would close 37 of the 42 clinics that provide abortions in the state. The Texas House version of Senate Bill 5 passed on Monday morning, after major stalling by House Democrats. Davis's filibuster began at 11.18am CDT on Tuesday. She has argued her case by reading letters from women and doctors who would be impacted by the bill and speaking with politicians from both sides of the aisle. Reproductive rights advocates are especially concerned with the bill's restrictions that would require abortions be performed in ambulatory surgical centers and would require physicians that perform abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles, posing difficulties for women living in rural areas.

As of now, Davis has been going for over 8 hours.


A link to the live stream:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/25/texas-senator-wendy-davis-filibuster-abortion

A cunning stunt, is it?

She looks and sounds like she's talking in her sleep. At the very least, she'll put her audience to sleep.

Memories of "Mr Smith Goes to Washington". Wonder I she has a potty with her?

As I understand it she can talk about anything she likes, read from a book, tell about what she did in her vacation, or describe how to cook succotash.

Good luck to her, anyway, she battles for a good cause.

Despite the theatrics abortion is still State sanctioned murder.

abortion is good for society it cuts down on the number of trash people

Do we have different parliamentary rules that prevent this sort of thing?

freediver wrote on Jun 30^th, 2013 at 7:20pm:

Do we have different parliamentary rules that prevent this sort of thing?

yeah imo these are sketchy tactics that shouldnt be allowed

I think Labor recently introduced rules about how low you could talk for in parliament.

JC Denton wrote on Jun 30^th, 2013 at 7:21pm:

freediver wrote on Jun 30th, 2013 at 7:20pm: Do we have different parliamentary rules that prevent this sort of thing? yeah imo these are sketchy tactics that shouldnt be allowed

The filibuster has a long tradition in our country.  It's rarely used.  She won the battle but lost the war.  Gov. Perry simply called another special session in which the bill was re-introduced and almost immediately passed.

I've never been able to fully make my mind up about abortion which is a very rare thing for me. The problem I have is that the medical community has not come to a consensus as to, precisely, when life begins. Therefore, saying life begins at any point is based not necessarily on fact but religious belief or simply arbitrary determination.

I absolutely oppose imposing any law based purely on religion...any religion. It's absolutely wrong and inappropriate; furthermore, I detest the idea of the government telling an individual what they may or may not do with their bodes. On the other hand, when it comes to the issue of determining life, should we not give the benefit of the doubt to the earliest possible point?

Which is why I support the Texas abortion bill that bans abortion after 20 weeks from the point of conception. That should give every woman ample time and opportunity to decide whether to keep the baby or not, and I believe that after 20 weeks there should be wide agreement that the fetus is a living entity.

Also, she is not a US Senator.  She's a State Senator (Texas). 

FrostedTex wrote on Jul 21^st, 2013 at 8:13pm:

JC Denton wrote on Jun 30th, 2013 at 7:21pm: freediver wrote on Jun 30th, 2013 at 7:20pm: Do we have different parliamentary rules that prevent this sort of thing? yeah imo these are sketchy tactics that shouldnt be allowed The filibuster has a long tradition in our country.  It's rarely used.  She won the battle but lost the war.  Gov. Perry simply called another special session in which the bill was re-introduced and almost immediately passed. I've never been able to fully make my mind up about abortion which is a very rare thing for me. The problem I have is that the medical community has not come to a consensus as to, precisely, when life begins. Therefore, saying life begins at any point is based not necessarily on fact but religious belief or simply arbitrary determination. I absolutely oppose imposing any law based purely on religion...any religion. It's absolutely wrong and inappropriate; furthermore, I detest the idea of the government telling an individual what they may or may not do with their bodes. On the other hand, when it comes to the issue of determining life, should we not give the benefit of the doubt to the earliest possible point? Which is why I support the Texas abortion bill that bans abortion after 20 weeks from the point of conception. That should give every woman ample time and opportunity to decide whether to keep the baby or not, and I believe that after 20 weeks there should be wide agreement that the fetus is a living entity.

abortion is personal... I dont think its up to me or any pollie to make that decision..

I like your living entity remark. tex... thats a hopeful sign that one day.

America might come to its senses over gun control...when we see children in schools getting mowed down b y guns.that have no place in society...we are appalled... totally appalled..

how any country can allow anyone to walk into a shop or carpark and buy an AK.47

is one sick kind of country..

one man was bragging how he has 50 weapons and was so proud he was able to protect himself and his family..

weird I didnt see one gun on him..so anyone could have popped out of the bushes and shot him..it wont be long before American children will go to school armed to the teeth..scared to death all the time...what kind of childhood is that?

may as well be living in the far East.where thats the norm

cods wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2013 at 8:46am:

FrostedTex wrote on Jul 21st, 2013 at 8:13pm: JC Denton wrote on Jun 30th, 2013 at 7:21pm: freediver wrote on Jun 30th, 2013 at 7:20pm: Do we have different parliamentary rules that prevent this sort of thing? yeah imo these are sketchy tactics that shouldnt be allowed The filibuster has a long tradition in our country.  It's rarely used.  She won the battle but lost the war.  Gov. Perry simply called another special session in which the bill was re-introduced and almost immediately passed. I've never been able to fully make my mind up about abortion which is a very rare thing for me. The problem I have is that the medical community has not come to a consensus as to, precisely, when life begins. Therefore, saying life begins at any point is based not necessarily on fact but religious belief or simply arbitrary determination. I absolutely oppose imposing any law based purely on religion...any religion. It's absolutely wrong and inappropriate; furthermore, I detest the idea of the government telling an individual what they may or may not do with their bodes. On the other hand, when it comes to the issue of determining life, should we not give the benefit of the doubt to the earliest possible point? Which is why I support the Texas abortion bill that bans abortion after 20 weeks from the point of conception. That should give every woman ample time and opportunity to decide whether to keep the baby or not, and I believe that after 20 weeks there should be wide agreement that the fetus is a living entity. abortion is personal... I dont think its up to me or any pollie to make that decision.. I like your living entity remark. tex... thats a hopeful sign that one day. America might come to its senses over gun control...when we see children in schools getting mowed down b y guns.that have no place in society...we are appalled... totally appalled.. how any country can allow anyone to walk into a shop or carpark and buy an AK.47 is one sick kind of country.. one man was bragging how he has 50 weapons and was so proud he was able to protect himself and his family.. weird I didnt see one gun on him..so anyone could have popped out of the bushes and shot him..it wont be long before American children will go to school armed to the teeth..scared to death all the time...what kind of childhood is that? may as well be living in the far East.where thats the norm

I have to completely disagree with you on the question of gun control.  It's a constitutionally protected right that is the insurance policy against tyrannical and out of control government.  Mass shootings are statistically very very rare -- you have a better chance of dying from a plane crash.

As for AK-47s, fully-automatic weapons are ILLEGAL by Federal law (they shouldn't be but they are) -- let me state that again...a fully automatic weapon is illegal in the United States.  You can buy an AK-47, but they are semi-automatic only which is absolutely no different than a plain old hunting rifle. 

When you hear terms like "assault rifles" talked about in the United States, it's important to understand that the legal definition of "assault rifle" has nothing to do with the function of the firearm...it's about the cosmetic look of the firearm and the accessories you can add.  An assault weapon shoots the same bullet in the same way as a hunting rifle...the only difference is how it looks.

Having said all that, it absolutely breaks my heart every time I hear of an innocent person being murdered regardless of how they were murdered.  There are ways to reduce the risk without taking away absolute and fundamental rights that we Americans are entitled to.  Statistically, areas with fewer gun laws have fewer gun-related crimes.  The worst examples of gun violence are found in those parts of the country that have the most restrictions on guns.

13hr filibuster revealed to just be a useless obstructionist grandstanding attempt solely purposed to obtain publicity and political respekt

JC Denton wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2013 at 9:47am:

13hr filibuster revealed to just be a useless obstructionist grandstanding attempt solely purposed to obtain publicity and political respekt

By and large, yes.  The problem is that sort of filibuster can't be sustained.  A procedural filibuster, however, can be very effective at killing legislation...but that's an entirely different action than this.

She got her 15 minutes of fame.  She's now met with the party big wigs and there is talk of her running for higher office (possibly governor).  She will never ever get elected to a statewide office in Texas....ever.  She'll be lucky to hold onto her senate seat.  Her political career is effectively over.