AUSTIN, Texas — More than 800 women’s rights protesters crowded into the Texas Capitol on Sunday to watch Democrats try a series of parliamentary maneuvers to stop the Republican majority from passing some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the country.
Democrats, some waving coat hangers to symbolize illegal abortions, passionately spoke against the bill or tried to add amendments to soften it. They started the session pointing to a technicality that delayed voting on any bills for 4½ hours. The forced adjournment burned up precious time, because the session ends at midnight Tuesday and the abortion bill still needs to go back to the Senate for final approval.
The Texas Medical Association, the Texas Hospital Association, and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists wrote letters urging lawmakers to vote against the bill, saying it would not raise the standard of care. Democrats asked why Republican lawmakers were ignoring their advice.
Republicans used their majority to cut short debate and give preliminary approval early Monday to some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the country as time was running out on the Texas Legislature’s special session.
Many members of the conservative majority had flyers on their desks that read “Psalm 139:13-14,” which reads in part: “You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
The sponsor of the law doesn’t know what a rape kit is:
The bill’s sponsor stopped answering questions about her bill after the first two hours after she got into trouble denying Democratic amendments. When Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, called for an exemption for women who were victims of rape and incest, Rep. Jody Laubenberg, R-Parker, explained why she felt it was unnecessary.
“In the emergency room they have what’s called rape kits where a woman can get cleaned out,” she said, comparing the procedure to an abortion.
Baud
Sadly, unless Snowden is involved, this won’t get the attention it deserves.
debbie
Can a woman possibly be such an idiot?
Senyordave
“In the emergency room they have what’s called rape kits where a woman can get cleaned out,” she said, comparing the procedure to an abortion.
Complete disbelief that a person this stupid is part of a state legislature (or part of the human race)
Anya
Thanks, Kay! As always the republicans overreach. Let;s hope the consequence of this action is turning Texas blue or at least speeding up the process.
Hawes
It’s Monday. Time for a Republican to say something stupid about rape.
At the Congressional level, many Republicans play stupid to appease their voters (Cruz, Graham), while some just ARE stupid (Paul, Gohmert).
But at the state level, we really have pure concentrated stupid.
Kay
@Anya:
You’re welcome! I saw your link :)
I was following them on Twitter. So great how they were covering for one another to keep their seats.
Kay
@debbie:
Is there a chain email that says they can answer the rape question with “rape kit”? It sounds chain email-ish: “rape kits are really abortions!”
c u n d gulag
Please, please, Governor Good Hair Perry, don’t just talk about secession – DO SOMETHING!!!
But first, let the women who want to leave your Christian goober state, leave.
MarieDeGournay
Die for Darkseid.
JGabriel
Jody Laubenberg, TX State Rep. (R-Parker)
Damn. Ya’ learn somethin’ new every day.
Patricia Kayden
I guess when the women of Texas smarten up and stop voting for Repubs, they won’t have this problem. Sorry to sound harsh, but it amazes me that women still vote for that party given all they’ve done to restrict access to reproductive rights. STOP VOTING FOR THEM and perhaps they’ll get the message once they’re out of power for awhile.
Patricia Kayden
@c u n d gulag: How many of those women voted for Governor Good Hair?
PurpleGirl
“In the emergency room they have what’s called rape kits where a woman can get cleaned out,” she said, comparing the procedure to an abortion.
No, you stupid and ignorant b****, a rape kit is to find evidence of the rape and preserve it for law enforcement use in finding and then prosecuting the attacker. It includes a protocol of questions to ask and physical evidence to take.
Face
Get Cleaned Out may be the worst euphanism for sexual assault treatment I’ve ever heard.
Zifnab25
Like everything else, the stupid is bigger in my great state of Texas.
Baud
@Patricia Kayden:
My guess is the greater problem in Texas is lack of turnout on our side rather than simply women voting for the GOP.
JGabriel
Come to dark side, we’ll clean you out.
PurpleGirl
@Patricia Kayden: Too many.
JGabriel
Baud:
Maybe not in the cable, broadcast or print media. But people are going to be mocking this one all over the internet for at least a week — probably months.
I mean, appalling as it is, Laubenberg’s remarks supply their own imagery.
Kay
@Zifnab25:
Great turn out, though. Maybe pushing the bill thru on a Sunday isn’t such a good idea. It’s easier to get people out on a weekend.
EconWatcher
Good God. The rape kit quote just about gave me whiplash, my head snapped back so fast.
I have to believe there will be a day of reckoning for some of this, and reasonably soon. It may take a while for the Latino vote to predominate in Texas, but what about women’s votes? I have some relatives in Texas, and the women are pretty rightwing, but they would have no truck with this.
El Caganer
@PurpleGirl: I can see why she’s confused. She’s probably humming to herself “Pack all your troubles in your rape-kit bag.” Or something. WTF knows.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@Zifnab25: Oh, we do it awesome here, but in this instance we’re not the first or really even the biggest.
red dog
Is there anything dumber than a dumb Texan?
Punchy
I once got cleaned out during a trip to the ER. Bill was $1100.
JGabriel
@debbie:
It’s Texas, Jake.
Face
If you think the lack of turnout is bad now, watch what happens in about 50 minutes when the SCOTUS destroys the VRA and TX passes the Go F#ck Yourselves You Stupid Brown People Voting “Rights” legislation that ALEC penned 6 months ago in anticipation.
JGabriel
Via Anne Laurie @ Top:
Anne Laurie! You left out one of the best lines in the story, which directly follows the above:
Emphasis added.
debbie
@Kay:
Even stupider than the rape kit claim. Self-righteousness can be so blinding. All that really matters are the Big Ideas — the little bits will take care of themselves, ammirite?
Another Halocene Human
@Face: Segregation TODAY, segregation TOMORROW
White Trash Liberal
Governor Goodhair and his GOP majority hate regulations unless it involves regulating a woman’s body. A fertilizer plant near a rest home? Freedom! A woman’s uterus? Tyranny.
EconWatcher
I’ll have to paraphrase, but the late great Molly Ivins once said something apropos: “It always amazes me when I hear some guy confuse the academy with the real world, and suggest that liberals are running things. I always say to myself, ‘now there’s a sumbitch who’s never spent time in a state legislature.'”
debbie
@White Trash Liberal:
They also get pretty pissed off when the federal government won’t pay all of the bills from disasters. Not that they ever plan to work to avoid those disasters.
Shakezula
Lysistrata, but this time backed with lots of guns.
Tone in DC
@JGabriel:
“Difficulty debating bills”?
People are gonna DIE in ERs, taxicabs and elsewhere, because these brain donors “rammed this antiabortion package” down the state’s throat. And these people not only will not do their jobs (which is to act in their constituents’ best interest). They apparently can’t.
Where’s that damn meteor.
Paul in KY
@Senyordave: Sometimes I think they are just lying thru their teeth (they actually know what a ‘rape kit’ is, but politically it pays to ‘play dumb’).
Or they are totally dumb shits…
Anya
@Kay: I was watching the whole weekend. The women of Texas are worth standing with instead of that toupee wearing douchebag from Kentucky.
rdldot
Senphronia Thompson is my rep. Good on her. Gonna give her a call today, I think.
Jack the Second
@Patricia Kayden:
Republicans are all about restricting the rights of other people. They don’t care about abortion rights or voting rights or the right to privacy or any other damn right because deep down they don’t believe it will ever be their freedoms and choices restricted, it will just be other people’s.
Comrade Mary
I was wondering whether there was any way to publicly shame and humiliate that woman, but then — yeah. Forget it, Jake. It’s Republicantown.
JGabriel
JGabriel:
Man, I should not post before caffeine. How did I get the name wrong?
Anyway, Kay, Anne Laurie, my apologies for error.
Comrade Mary
@JGabriel: On lack of preview: DAMN IT.
SFAW
@Jack the Second:
Bingo.
Many years ago, I had a quasi-political chat with a co-worker, wherein he complained that the Democrats want to regulate everything/everybody. I pointed out that (A) it wasn’t quite that bad, (B) at least the Dems don’t try to pretend that they’re trying to regulate certain things, and (C) the Rethugs try to regulate everything/everybody AT LEAST as much as the Dems, but they try to pretend they (i.e. Rethugs) aren’t.
Fucking hypocrites, all of ’em. The Secession of Dumbfuckistan (the territory f/k/a
Nuevo AztlanTexas) can’t happen soon enough.catclub
@EconWatcher: ” but they would have no truck with this.”
Important if true!
So far the evidence is that plenty will find it ok.
danah gaz
I’m so glad I don’t live in Texas. And I’m so glad that my sister who does, is a lesbian who can handle herself in a fight.
Frankly, I wish you Texans would put Drano in your water supply or something. The nation can’t afford more fucksticks like Gohmert and that one homeless criminal guy some of your neighbors keep voting for.
muddy
@Face: She probably thinks it’s like a shaken bottle of cola as a douche.
Tokyokie
@red dog:
Jim Inhofe.
FlipYrWhig
Wait — does she mean that no one who gets raped needs an abortion because the hospital rape kit involves removing semen? So the semen goes into the kit instead, no pregnancy, no abortion? Holy shit that’s stupid.
rikyrah
proud of those that stood up for women’s reproductive rights
Felinious Wench
It will get struck down in Federal Court.
If we didn’t have the Federal Courts to slap these idiots in my fair state…I don’t want to think about it. Onward with the struggle.
SFAW
@Tokyokie:
Or Jim Hoft?
And has anyone ever seen the two of them together? Is it possible Hoft = Inhofe in drag? Because there’s enough stupid in either one of them for AT LEAST two people.
Constance Reader
@red dog: Yes, a smart Mississippian.
Sorry, I’m a woman in Texas. I have to console myself somehow and it’s too early to hit the gin.
ricky
@red dog:
Merely posting the question suggests strongly that there might be.
Paul in KY
@Constance Reader: Understand…I’m from Kentucky.
Ruckus
@Paul in KY:
In this case for sure I think we are very, very safe in going with really are fucking stupid.
Ruckus
@red dog:
They do everything bigger in TX. So state pride is at stake. They have to at least try to be stupider than everyone else. It might be very possible they may be succeeding.
JCT
Having participated in my share of rape kit procedures I am positively awestruck and infuriated by this.
Words fail.
Paul in KY
@Ruckus: I think you are spot on here.
Nancy
You would like the stupidest to only be from Texas but we all know that isn’t true. I was born in Iowa (Chuck Grassley, Steve King) lived in Minnesota ( Michelle Bachman) and now live in Texas. I am sorry to say stupid runs rampant around this whole country.