Texas State Senator And Epic Hero Wendy Davis Killed That Anti-Abortion Bill

BNq0-YfCYAAUFgq.jpg-largeIf you are a woman who cares even one iota about the reproductive freedom of women, especially women in Texas, than you are probably pretty thrilled this morning. Texas state senator Wendy Davis stood on her feet with no water breaks, no food, and no bathroom breaks for 11 hours yesterday taking only a brief moment where she remained standing to have help putting on a back brace , to filibuster Senate Bill 5 that would have banned abortions after 20 weeks and added a whole mess of other restrictions on abortions, including limiting abortions to surgical centers. Had this bill passed, it would have closed almost every abortion service provider in Texas. Lawmakers had to vote before the special  session ended at 12 a.m. but more than 400 protestors, the majority wearing orange, halted the proceedings before the roll call could be completed.

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It was epic.

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For those of you unfamiliar with our very own Daenerys Targaryen, Wendy Davis, age 50, was raised by a single mother and became a single mother herself when she was 19. When she was younger, she worked at Orange Julius. She went on to receive a law degree from Harvard. Her hobbies include running and cycling, and she wore adorable pink sneakers for her filibuster. Her twitter following went from 1,200 to over 60,000 since yesterday.

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I’ve made no secret of being a pro-choice mom, and I’m just in awe of Wendy and all of the people who traveled to Texas and stood around all day to show her their support and stop this amazingly restrictive bill from being passed. She recounted stories from women from all over about why abortion needs to remain safe and legal, and from doctors who would be affected by the bill being passed. She choked up at times, she cried at times, but she never faltered, she never leaned, which was also not allowed during her filibuster.

 

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History was made. I hope “Wendy” becomes one of the most popular baby names of 2013.

Laura Beck from Jezebel has probably the best suggestion of how we can celebrate today:

Finally, how do we send massage gift certificates, foot rubs from Fabio, and all the wine to Wendy Davis?

ETA: Honorable Wendy Davis, Texas State Senate, P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station, Austin, TX 78711-2068 DO IT TO IT.

(Images: twitter)

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