Governor Rick Perry, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, and their anti-women’s health cohorts are using the special legislative session to fast-track legislation designed to dramatically restrict access to safe and legal abortion in Texas, but Texans aren’t letting them pass it without a fight. Last night, about 700 people showed up to testify, engaging in a citizen filibuster at a House hearing on bills that would essentially ban abortion in many parts of the state.
After more than 10 hours of testimony, going into the early hours of Friday morning (3:45 am!!!), they staved off a vote on the legislation for now, giving a fighting chance to stop the bill entirely. During this filibuster, the words “End the War on Women” were projected onto the state capitol, and the hashtag #HB60 trended worldwide. Here’s a great storify, summarizing what happened:
Tags: Texas, Governor Rick Perry, HB60, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst