Texas senator Wendy Davis stages a 11-hour filibuster to block a controversial anti-abortion bill.
Quote:
Her marathon speech, which began at 11.18am local time, came to an end at 10.03pm when the last of three points of order were sustained against her.
A rush of procedural motions and inquiries by Democrat senators delayed the final voteon the bill. Van de Putte asked for a summary of previous points of order, saying she had been away from the senate attending her father's funeral.
The leader of the Democrats in the senate, Kirk Watson, began what amounted to his own filibuster.
With less than 15 minutes to go until midnight Van de Putte asked what a female member of the senate had to do to be heard over her male colleagues. She believed she had raised a motion earlier but was not heard.
It was at this point the crowded public gallery began chanting and cheering. A vote was called on the SB5 bill but the noise was at such a level that voting was suspended until order was restored.
The gallery appeared to take this as an invitation to ramp up their noise for the remaining 15 minutes, with encouragement from Democrats on the floor. The session ended in chaos and confusion, and without the vote being completed by midnight.
There were reports some senators did not even know what they voted on.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/26/wendy-davis-abortion-filibuster-chaos
A rush of procedural motions and inquiries by Democrat senators delayed the final voteon the bill. Van de Putte asked for a summary of previous points of order, saying she had been away from the senate attending her father's funeral.
The leader of the Democrats in the senate, Kirk Watson, began what amounted to his own filibuster.
With less than 15 minutes to go until midnight Van de Putte asked what a female member of the senate had to do to be heard over her male colleagues. She believed she had raised a motion earlier but was not heard.
It was at this point the crowded public gallery began chanting and cheering. A vote was called on the SB5 bill but the noise was at such a level that voting was suspended until order was restored.
The gallery appeared to take this as an invitation to ramp up their noise for the remaining 15 minutes, with encouragement from Democrats on the floor. The session ended in chaos and confusion, and without the vote being completed by midnight.
There were reports some senators did not even know what they voted on.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/26/wendy-davis-abortion-filibuster-chaos
Bill is declared dead, for now.
Quote:
Texas' lieutenant governor has acknowledged that Republicans missed their deadline to pass new abortion restrictions after protesters screamed down lawmakers as the final 15 minutes passed before the special legislative session's deadline.
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More than 400 protesters erupted at 11:45 p.m. when Republicans suspended an 11-hour filibuster staged by Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth.
Amid the deafening roar of abortion rights supporters, Texas Republicans huddled around the State Senate podium to -- they thought -- pass the strict new abortion restrictions, but the move was immediately cast into doubt as Democrats claimed it wasn't taken before the session's midnight deadline and the timing on official records changed within minutes.
Hundreds of protesters cheered, clapped and shouted for the last 15 minutes of the special legislative session in an attempt to run out the clock before senators could vote on the bill that is expected to close almost every abortion clinic in the nation's second most populous state.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57591047/texas-gop-admits-abortion-limits-vote-came-too-late/
...
More than 400 protesters erupted at 11:45 p.m. when Republicans suspended an 11-hour filibuster staged by Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth.
Amid the deafening roar of abortion rights supporters, Texas Republicans huddled around the State Senate podium to -- they thought -- pass the strict new abortion restrictions, but the move was immediately cast into doubt as Democrats claimed it wasn't taken before the session's midnight deadline and the timing on official records changed within minutes.
Hundreds of protesters cheered, clapped and shouted for the last 15 minutes of the special legislative session in an attempt to run out the clock before senators could vote on the bill that is expected to close almost every abortion clinic in the nation's second most populous state.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57591047/texas-gop-admits-abortion-limits-vote-came-too-late/
