Salon.com > Abortion http://www.salon.com Tue, 02 Jul 2013 15:38:38 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Five states see new antiabortion laws go into effect http://www.salon.com/2013/07/02/five_states_see_new_antiabortion_laws_go_into_effect/ http://www.salon.com/2013/07/02/five_states_see_new_antiabortion_laws_go_into_effect/#comments Tue, 02 Jul 2013 13:32:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13349492 All eyes are on Texas right now as a sweeping abortion ban gets another shot at becoming law during a second special legislative session. And Ohio Gov. John Kasich made headlines Sunday night after signing his state's controversial budget, and approving all five of the antiabortion amendments state conservatives loaded into the bill.

But that's just new legislation. As ABC News reports, around the country, several laws to restrict abortion went into effect this week, creating new barriers to access for women in five states.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/07/02/five_states_see_new_antiabortion_laws_go_into_effect/feed/ 5 Six amazing signs from the “Stand with Texas Women” rally http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/six_amazing_signs_from_the_stand_with_texas_women_rally/ http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/six_amazing_signs_from_the_stand_with_texas_women_rally/#comments Mon, 01 Jul 2013 22:53:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13348084 While the first day of Texas' special legislative session lasted all of 30 minutes, the massive reproductive rights demonstration outside the Capitol building on Monday started early and extended well into the afternoon.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered to voice their opposition to the proposed abortion ban, many choosing to do so with a little levity.

A roundup of the best signs of the day:

[slide_show id=13348181]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/six_amazing_signs_from_the_stand_with_texas_women_rally/feed/ 4 Best of the worst: Right-wing tweets on the Texas abortion battle http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/best_of_the_worst_right_wing_tweets_on_the_texas_abortion_battle/ http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/best_of_the_worst_right_wing_tweets_on_the_texas_abortion_battle/#comments Mon, 01 Jul 2013 20:30:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13347771 The Texas Legislature began a short special session today that conservatives hope will make the state a much harder place to obtain an abortion. As activists stormed the state Capitol, pundits waged the abortion wars on Twitter. Here at Salon, we've published a few of these "best of the worst" roundups but they're not usually this angry:

[embedtweet id ="351741175977349120"]
[embedtweet id ="351768986519744512"]
[embedtweet id ="351774115419537408"]
[embedtweet id ="351761503235481601"]
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[embedtweet id ="351719790865420288"]

[embedtweet id ="351772062068645890"]
[embedtweet id ="351765330114256896"]

[embedtweet id ="351784320756744192"]
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[embedtweet id ="351777132239798272"]
[embedtweet id ="351784320756744192"]
[embedtweet id ="351740893927178240"]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/best_of_the_worst_right_wing_tweets_on_the_texas_abortion_battle/feed/ 87 Texas Senate meets, promptly votes to recess until July 9 http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/texas_senate_meets_promptly_votes_to_recess_until_july_9/ http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/texas_senate_meets_promptly_votes_to_recess_until_july_9/#comments Mon, 01 Jul 2013 19:56:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13347789 The reproductive rights demonstration outside the Texas Capitol on Monday seems to have lasted longer than the actual legislative session it was intended to bolster. After taking a roll call and discussing official time-keeping methods, the Texas Senate voted to recess until July 9 at 11 a.m.

According to a report from the Associated Press, the Senate gallery was "full but calm" during the lightning-fast meeting.

Republicans have vowed to use the special legislative session to pass the restrictive abortion ban that state Sen. Wendy Davis and her Democratic colleagues defeated with a marathon filibuster last week, but that certainly didn't happen today.

Updated: 4:18 p.m.

The House is also adjourned until next week, but there will be a committee meeting held tomorrow.

 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/texas_senate_meets_promptly_votes_to_recess_until_july_9/feed/ 11 Planned Parenthood gets the Tami Taylor seal of approval http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/planned_parenthood_gets_the_tami_taylor_seal_of_approval/ http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/planned_parenthood_gets_the_tami_taylor_seal_of_approval/#comments Mon, 01 Jul 2013 17:03:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13347315 Connie Britton -- whose "Friday Night Lights" character, Tami Taylor, is widely regarded as the patron saint of television moms/ultimate fictional wise woman/best head of hair in the business -- has partnered with Planned Parenthood on a campaign to support women's reproductive rights in Texas. (Texas forever!)

Britton commissioned a T-shirt to help support the campaign, which plays on her character's pop culture status as moral compass and asks: "What Would Tami Taylor Do?" (Answer, per the campaign website: "She would stand with Texas women.")

In a statement on the partnership, Britton said: "The character Tami on ‘Friday Night Lights’ is a Texas woman deeply committed to her community and to standing up for what is right for her neighbors and the people she loves. I have been inspired by how people around the country have united to stand with the women of Texas, and I can't help but think that, in this moment, we all have the opportunity to join with and become strong, powerful Texas men and women.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/planned_parenthood_gets_the_tami_taylor_seal_of_approval/feed/ 2 Ohio governor signs budget laced with antiabortion provisions http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/ohio_gov_signs_budget_laced_with_antiabortion_provisions/ http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/ohio_gov_signs_budget_laced_with_antiabortion_provisions/#comments Mon, 01 Jul 2013 16:14:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13347257 Ohio Gov. John Kasich made 22 line-item vetoes before signing his state's controversial budget into law on Sunday night, but left untouched the five provisions included to restrict women's health services and abortion access in the state, including a measure to defund Planned Parenthood and redirect state funding from comprehensive reproductive health facilities to faith-based "crisis pregnancy centers."

As Salon has previously reported, the antiabortion amendments in the budget block funding for rape crisis centers that refer women to abortion service providers, impose mandatory ultrasounds on women seeking abortions, and, because of a provision blocking transfer agreements between abortion clinics and hospitals, could shutter four of the state's 12 abortion service providers.

The move was quickly denounced by state Democrats and reproductive rights advocates.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/ohio_gov_signs_budget_laced_with_antiabortion_provisions/feed/ 21 CBO says GOP abortion bill would raise the deficit http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/cbo_says_gop_abortion_bill_would_raise_the_deficit/ http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/cbo_says_gop_abortion_bill_would_raise_the_deficit/#comments Mon, 01 Jul 2013 12:55:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13347086 A bill pushed by conservative Republicans in the House, which would restrict abortions after 20 weeks, would also raise the deficit by increasing Medicaid costs, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

From Politico:

The Congressional Budget Office, which judges the budgetary impact of all legislation, says “Depending on the number of additional births under H.R. 1797, such Medicaid costs could range from about $75 million over the next 10 years to more than $400 million over that period.”

CBO officially estimates that the bill increases federal deficits by $75 million between 2014 and 2018, and $225 million between 2014 and 2023.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/cbo_says_gop_abortion_bill_would_raise_the_deficit/feed/ 12 Wendy Davis gears up for round two of Texas abortion battle http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/wendy_davis_gears_up_for_round_two_of_texas_abortion_battle/ http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/wendy_davis_gears_up_for_round_two_of_texas_abortion_battle/#comments Mon, 01 Jul 2013 12:53:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13347076 Less than a week after state. Sen. Wendy Davis' 11-hour filibuster defeated Texas' highly restrictive abortion ban, the Legislature is reconvening to vote on the Republican-backed measure, which is strongly opposed by Democrats, reproductive rights groups, the Texas Medical Association, the Texas Hospital Association and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The second special session, called for by Gov. Rick Perry after the measure failed to pass in the previous session, will begin Monday at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. ET) and could last up to 30 days.

The bill is expected to pass in the Republican-controlled Legislature, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who supports the measure, told the Dallas Morning News on Saturday that the second session leaves little hope for a successful filibuster: “We’re not going to get it back from the House within filibuster range,” Dewhurst said. “We’re going to make sure that we’ve got plenty of time, and no human being can talk for two weeks.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/wendy_davis_gears_up_for_round_two_of_texas_abortion_battle/feed/ 16 Wendy Davis: Battle isn’t over on Texas abortion bill http://www.salon.com/2013/06/30/wendy_davis_battle_isnt_over_on_texas_abortion_bill/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/30/wendy_davis_battle_isnt_over_on_texas_abortion_bill/#comments Sun, 30 Jun 2013 19:16:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13346630 Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, D, said that her 11+ hour filibuster of the state's harsh abortion bill was not the end of the fight against the legislation. "We will fight as we begin the session again on Monday," she said on NBC's "Meet the Press." " "I don't think that we will concede that the battle is over."

Davis also accused Republican politicians in the state of using the legislation for political gain. “Politicians are using this issue to boost their own political aspirations, their own political ambitions, and they are bullying women and their liberties, their personal, constitutionally guaranteed liberties in the process,” she said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

Davis's filibuster prevented the legislation, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks, from passing the legislature last week. But Gov. Rick Perry has called a special session, which begins on Monday, in order to get it passed. This time, the bill is expected to make it through.

 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/30/wendy_davis_battle_isnt_over_on_texas_abortion_bill/feed/ 10 Rick Perry says Wendy Davis “hasn’t learned from her own example” http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/rick_perry_says_wendy_davis_hasn%e2%80%99t_learned_from_her_own_example/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/rick_perry_says_wendy_davis_hasn%e2%80%99t_learned_from_her_own_example/#comments Thu, 27 Jun 2013 17:08:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13338894 Addressing an audience at the National Right to Life conference Thursday morning, Texas Gov. Rick Perry suggested that state Sen. Wendy Davis should have "learned" from her experiences as a teen mother who worked to support her daughter while pursuing an education and a career -- by becoming a staunch opponent of women's autonomy and basic access to reproductive health care, just like him.

“Who are we to say that children born into the worst of circumstances can’t grow to live successful lives?” Perry asked the crowd.

Turning the life story of a fierce abortion rights defender into fodder for a polemic about undermining women's rights may seem like an odd choice to many (Planned Parenthood's Cecile Richards called it "incredibly condescending and insulting to women" in a statement), but the crowd of antiabortion activists roared their approval as Perry continued:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/rick_perry_says_wendy_davis_hasn%e2%80%99t_learned_from_her_own_example/feed/ 55 Filibustering Sen. Wendy Davis inspires nail art http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/wendy_davis_inspires_nail_art/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/wendy_davis_inspires_nail_art/#comments Thu, 27 Jun 2013 16:27:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13338871 Inspired by feminist icon Wendy Davis, the Tex. state senator credited with blocking an antiabortion bill by filibustering for 13-hours straight, an Austin, Tex. nail salon offers tribute. Posting the picture on its Tumblr account, the caption reads: "Thumbs up, Texas women."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/wendy_davis_inspires_nail_art/feed/ 1 Wendy Davis: Texas Senate intentionally tried to rig the vote http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/wendy_davis_texas_senate_intentionally_tried_to_rig_the_vote/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/wendy_davis_texas_senate_intentionally_tried_to_rig_the_vote/#comments Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:58:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13338628 Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, captured national attention on Tuesday with a marathon filibuster that defeated a draconian abortion omnibus bill in the state Senate. (Though the victory may be short-lived: Gov. Rick Perry has called a second special legislative session for July 1, giving antiabortion lawmakers 30 more days to try to pass the measure.)

Davis spoke with Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night about the experience of standing and speaking for 11 hours straight ("I underestimated how difficult it would be") and what the Texas legislative showdown could mean for the future of reproductive rights in Texas -- and democracy in the United States:

I think the most important thing we accomplished is we empowered the voice of people in Texas -- people who wanted to stand against this big government intrusion to their personal lives and liberty... What I think this is has done is empower people to understand that when they involve themselves in a democracy they truly can make a difference. They made a difference in the Texas Capitol yesterday, and I think this will linger, Anderson. I think that even if this bill passes in this next called special session, the reaction to it won't be a partisan one; it's a reaction coming from Republicans,, Independents and Democrats alike, which is saying: Gov. Perry, Lt. Gov. Dewhurst, stay out of my private decision making.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/wendy_davis_texas_senate_intentionally_tried_to_rig_the_vote/feed/ 6 It’s a Wendy Davis nation, now http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/its_a_wendy_davis_nation_now/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/its_a_wendy_davis_nation_now/#comments Thu, 27 Jun 2013 11:45:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13338100 The shouting came, like water bursting from a broken levee, just before midnight. The hundreds, maybe thousands, of orange-shirted activists camped out in the Texas Capitol had done everything they could to stall a vote on an abortion-restricting bill -- from staging a citizen's filibuster late last week, to cheering on the 13-hour one by Sen. Wendy Davis that Tuesday night.

"At what point must a female senator raise her hand or voice to be recognized over the male colleagues in the room?" demanded an exasperated Sen. Leticia van de Putte, who had come from her father's funeral and was trying to prevent the filibuster from being dismantled on procedural grounds. Her words were what did it. Minutes to the deadline for the end of the special session, Senate Republicans seemed to be calling a vote, and shouting was all that was left.

For years, observers have said the enthusiasm and mobilization is on the antiabortion side, but not that night. It was still a game of defense, but pro-choice politicians and activists were pushing back harder than ever seen before.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/its_a_wendy_davis_nation_now/feed/ 152 Wendy Davis vs. Rick Perry? http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/wendy_davis_v_rick_perry/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/wendy_davis_v_rick_perry/#comments Wed, 26 Jun 2013 23:53:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13338387 It seemed a strange convergence early Wednesday morning: On the same day the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis pulled off a heroic filibuster that ultimately defeated draconian antiabortion legislation – and yet she could be a victim of that court decision, as state Republicans moved ahead with redistricting plans blocked in 2012 that could effectively eliminate her seat, even while she was filibustering.

I certainly think that voting rights and women’s rights activism ought to converge in Texas to make sure Davis keeps her seat, if she wants it. But Wednesday night I began to dream there might be an even better test for those two movements: Backing Davis in a run against Texas’s forgetful, pandering far-right Gov. Rick Perry.

Personally I thought Perry shamed himself with his slapdash run for president, but lots of people think it made him stronger at least on the right. Whatever. It certainly made national Democrats more aware of what Texans are living with. Wendy Davis’ filibuster made us more aware of the state’s progressive promise.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/wendy_davis_v_rick_perry/feed/ 47 Sen. Wendy Davis spawns an Internet meme http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/senator_wendy_davis_spawns_an_internet_meme/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/senator_wendy_davis_spawns_an_internet_meme/#comments Wed, 26 Jun 2013 22:18:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13338203 State Sen. Wendy Davis, whom Joan Walsh aptly described as a "feminist superhero" and "a badass," successfully blocked an antiabortion bill from passing in Texas after a 13-hour filibuster -- without breaking to eat, drink, sit or use the bathroom. Due to her efforts, at 3 a.m. Wednesday, the draconian rule did not pass.

Davis' stand was so inspiring that at one point, 150,000 people tuned in to watch the proceedings live on YouTube. The hashtag #standwithWendy trended on Twitter, and lo, an Internet meme was born:

[embedtweet id="349742987074498560"]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/senator_wendy_davis_spawns_an_internet_meme/feed/ 7 Social media’s wildest 24 hours http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/social_medias_wildest_24_hours/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/social_medias_wildest_24_hours/#comments Wed, 26 Jun 2013 19:27:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13338043 For 24 hours, the world of social media rocked like a roller coaster off its tracks. The outbursts of rage over the Supreme Court's decision to annul a key section of the Voting Rights Act Tuesday morning had barely subsided before environmentalists began obsessively tweeting every nuance of President Obama's climate change speech a few hours later. As afternoon became evening, Wendy Davis' filibuster in the Texas Legislature became a legend-in-the-making, complete with a stunning chaotic denouement watched in real time streaming video by hundreds of thousands. The following morning, a rolling tide of ecstasy and joy swept across the Internet within seconds of the news that the Supreme Court had ruled the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

Of course, I should be clear: This was my world of social media. We are filtered by whom we follow and friend. If I associated with a different motley crew, the cries of joy and rage could easily flip places. Social conservatives believe that what happened in Texas Wednesday night was a travesty of democracy and that Jesus is weeping in dismay over the prospect of a flood of gay marriage in California. And they're on Twitter too.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/social_medias_wildest_24_hours/feed/ 2 SCOTUS Voting Rights Act ruling may cost Wendy Davis her Senate seat http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/scotus_voting_rights_act_ruling_may_cost_wendy_davis_her_senate_seat/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/scotus_voting_rights_act_ruling_may_cost_wendy_davis_her_senate_seat/#comments Wed, 26 Jun 2013 19:07:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13337962 Just as Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, rose to national prominence with a Tuesday filibuster to defeat a highly restrictive antiabortion omnibus bill, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that helped her secure her seat in the Legislature.

As reported by Zachary Roth at MSNBC, Davis was one of many candidates -- and tens of thousands of Texas voters -- impacted by Republican redistricting efforts in 2011:

The GOP plan radically changed the demographic makeup of Davis’ district, among others, moving tens of thousands of black and Hispanic voters into neighboring districts. In fact, of the 94 precincts that were over 70% minority, Republicans cut out 48. In the new map, blacks and Hispanics were placed in separate districts from each other and were outnumbered by the white conservative majority, which tends to vote Republican.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/scotus_voting_rights_act_ruling_may_cost_wendy_davis_her_senate_seat/feed/ 85 Meet the Wendy Davis fan club http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/meet_the_wendy_davis_fan_club/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/meet_the_wendy_davis_fan_club/#comments Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:26:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13337374 State Sen. Wendy Davis' marathon filibuster (aided by her Democratic colleagues and reproductive rights advocates in the gallery, natch) defeated Texas' sweeping antiabortion omnibus bill and helped to secure women's continued access to safe medical care in Texas.

It also garnered her a pretty fancy group of new fans on Twitter.

A roundup:

[embedtweet id="349703625616011264"]

[embedtweet id="349879383709859840"]

[embedtweet id="349781838853718016"]

[embedtweet id="349854658421993472"]

[embedtweet id="349718357248974848"]

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[embedtweet id="349743590521569280"]

[embedtweet id="349792116282634240"]

[embedtweet id="349758354496819201"]

[embedtweet id="349727781359321088"]

[embedtweet id="349768005510635520"]

 

 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/meet_the_wendy_davis_fan_club/feed/ 4 Wendy Davis’ marathon filibuster kills Texas abortion bill (for now) http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/wendy_davis_marathon_filibuster_kills_texas_abortion_bill_for_now/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/wendy_davis_marathon_filibuster_kills_texas_abortion_bill_for_now/#comments Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:21:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13337269 A filibuster by state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth (and some "Occupy Wall Street tactics" from an "unruly mob" of reproductive rights advocates in the chamber, but more on that later), successfully blocked Texas' controversial antiabortion omnibus bill from passing before the special legislative session deadline of midnight Tuesday.

The measure would have banned abortion at 20 weeks and imposed restrictions on physicians and abortion facilities that would have shuttered 37 of the state's 42 abortion clinics, making access to the procedure virtually impossible, advocates say.

According to reports from the Austin-American Statesman and the Associated Press, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst prematurely halted Davis' filibuster after ruling that her discussion of mandatory ultrasound testing was "not germane" to the bill and in violation of Senate rules; Davis was removed from the floor and pandemonium erupted. Davis' Democratic colleagues who opposed the bill attempted to debate why forced ultrasounds were relevant to the bill under consideration, and a group of reproductive rights advocates observing the filibuster rushed the floor, chanting "Let her speak!" and "Shame! Shame! Shame!"

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/wendy_davis_marathon_filibuster_kills_texas_abortion_bill_for_now/feed/ 10 Wendy Davis, feminist superhero http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/wendy_davis_feminist_super_hero/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/26/wendy_davis_feminist_super_hero/#comments Wed, 26 Jun 2013 03:40:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13337050 Update: After much confusion, the Statesman reports that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced on the Senate floor at 3:01 a.m that the bill had, in fact, not passed.

Original post:

In a better world, the discussion of sonograms would not be at all germane to proposed new antiabortion legislation, because the two issues would have nothing to do with one another. But since Texas, like many other states, recently passed a requirement that women get a sonogram before obtaining an abortion, it made perfect sense that state Sen. Wendy Davis would talk about the way SB 5, the state’s proposed new abortion restrictions, might relate to the earlier sonogram law.

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