Look, Texas, I love you. I might not have been born and raised here, I might not even have really even liked living here when I first moved here (who really enjoys 100+ heat in the summer?) but this is my home. I know that this is still a very Republican state and as a Democrat my voice is not very loud or even likely to be heard. But let me take the time to tell you that you have got to stop trying to limit my rights as a woman.
When Wendy Davis stood up for 13 hours and talked to the Senate about how terrible SB5 was, you tried to impose rules that you don't impose on the male members of the Senate when they decide to filibuster a bill. Male members were allowed to try and talk over her, interrupt her and completely ignore the other members that were trying to speak out in support of Davis. Then, after it was past time to vote, you went ahead and let the vote happen. Supports of Davis lined the walkways circling the gallery and yet you ignored them in order to try and push this through. When it was determined that the vote was void and the bill was dead, our Governor Perry decided to call a special session beginning July 1 to consider this bill again.
I'm really baffled by Republicans in the Senate that keep saying that the government needs to stay out of citizens' lives but then create (and pass) legislation like SB5 that trample all over a woman's right to decide what to do with her body. Let me explain something to you, Texas, I know my body better than you do. I know what I need to eat, what exercise I need, what birth control suits me best, and even what sort of medical care I need. Let me decide what I do with it. If I know I am not fit to be a mother, let me make that choice. I know you don't want to have people on Welfare and other government programs, so allow me to make the choice that will keep me off of them. Doesn't that sound better?
I know that there are some politicians like Sen. Jodie Laudenburg seem to think that even something as procedural as a rape kit can cause an abortion, and there are other Senators elsewhere that seem to think that the female body can even stop a pregnancy from happening in the instances of "real" rape, so maybe it would be best for politicians to stop trying to create legislation about something that they don't understand. Did you realize that, while SB5 says abortions after 20 weeks after conception will not be allowed, it is scientifically impossible to determine the date of conception? Did you realize that most women don't consider having an abortion without serious consideration of their actions? And can I let you in on a little secret? Banning abortions won't mean abortions don't happen. It means that they don't happen in a safe environment. It means they will happen illegally. It means they will be dangerous. It means women will travel out of state in order to obtain an abortion.
So, Texas, instead of revisiting a bill that that the people have made it clear they don't want, maybe you could spend your time in the special session working on issues that we actually need to focus on. Could you maybe spend some time looking at the fact that the education system in Texas is laughable at best? I don't think I'm asking too much here. I'm only asking for you to recognize your own rules and your own voting rules. Texas, I know we don't always see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues, but can you just take the time to look at how unabashedly wrong this is? The people literally spoke and you didn't listen. People chose to stand with Wendy Davis both in Austin and across the nation.
I know a lot of Texas is a believer of the "right of the fetus" argument, but it is, pardon my French, absolute bullshit. Let me ask you something, if I have a baby in one hand and a petri dish with 1,000 embryos in it and I drop them both, which one would you rush to catch?
When Wendy Davis stood up for 13 hours and talked to the Senate about how terrible SB5 was, you tried to impose rules that you don't impose on the male members of the Senate when they decide to filibuster a bill. Male members were allowed to try and talk over her, interrupt her and completely ignore the other members that were trying to speak out in support of Davis. Then, after it was past time to vote, you went ahead and let the vote happen. Supports of Davis lined the walkways circling the gallery and yet you ignored them in order to try and push this through. When it was determined that the vote was void and the bill was dead, our Governor Perry decided to call a special session beginning July 1 to consider this bill again.
I'm really baffled by Republicans in the Senate that keep saying that the government needs to stay out of citizens' lives but then create (and pass) legislation like SB5 that trample all over a woman's right to decide what to do with her body. Let me explain something to you, Texas, I know my body better than you do. I know what I need to eat, what exercise I need, what birth control suits me best, and even what sort of medical care I need. Let me decide what I do with it. If I know I am not fit to be a mother, let me make that choice. I know you don't want to have people on Welfare and other government programs, so allow me to make the choice that will keep me off of them. Doesn't that sound better?
I know that there are some politicians like Sen. Jodie Laudenburg seem to think that even something as procedural as a rape kit can cause an abortion, and there are other Senators elsewhere that seem to think that the female body can even stop a pregnancy from happening in the instances of "real" rape, so maybe it would be best for politicians to stop trying to create legislation about something that they don't understand. Did you realize that, while SB5 says abortions after 20 weeks after conception will not be allowed, it is scientifically impossible to determine the date of conception? Did you realize that most women don't consider having an abortion without serious consideration of their actions? And can I let you in on a little secret? Banning abortions won't mean abortions don't happen. It means that they don't happen in a safe environment. It means they will happen illegally. It means they will be dangerous. It means women will travel out of state in order to obtain an abortion.
So, Texas, instead of revisiting a bill that that the people have made it clear they don't want, maybe you could spend your time in the special session working on issues that we actually need to focus on. Could you maybe spend some time looking at the fact that the education system in Texas is laughable at best? I don't think I'm asking too much here. I'm only asking for you to recognize your own rules and your own voting rules. Texas, I know we don't always see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues, but can you just take the time to look at how unabashedly wrong this is? The people literally spoke and you didn't listen. People chose to stand with Wendy Davis both in Austin and across the nation.
I know a lot of Texas is a believer of the "right of the fetus" argument, but it is, pardon my French, absolute bullshit. Let me ask you something, if I have a baby in one hand and a petri dish with 1,000 embryos in it and I drop them both, which one would you rush to catch?
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