Republicans disrupt Texas state Democrat's filibuster over abortion bill

By Corrie MacLaggan

AUSTIN, Texas | Wed Jun 26, 2013 4:02am EDT

(Reuters) - A bid by a Texas state Democrat to block sweeping new abortion restrictions championed by Republicans ended early on Wednesday amid protests from opponents and uncertainty over whether the bill was passed before a midnight deadline.

Texas State Senator Wendy Davis, a rising star in the state's Democratic party, sought to derail a proposal that included a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy by speaking until midnight (1 a.m. EDT), when a 30-day special session expires. But her attempt to filibuster was stalled over charges she violated rules.

The Republican-controlled Senate began voting on the bill to cries of protests from scores of spectators and a dispute emerged along party lines as to whether the final votes were cast on time.

If the Senate did approve the proposal, Texas is virtually assured of becoming the 13th state in the nation, and by far the most populous, to impose a ban on abortion after 20 weeks.

The proposal also calls for stricter standards for abortion clinics, which opponents said would force nearly all the state's abortion clinics to close or be rebuilt.

"We don't know what will happen by the morning, and we don't know yet if this bill has passed," said Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic party, buoyed by "thousands" of supporters at the capitol, in Austin.

Republican supporters of the bill said it would protect the health of women and the ban on late-term abortions would protect the fetus based on controversial research that suggests pain is felt by 20 weeks of development.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, but conservative states have enacted laws in recent years that seek to place restrictions on the procedure, especially on abortions performed late in pregnancy.

Twelve states have passed 20-week bans, including two states where the bans take effect later this year, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Courts have blocked the bans in three of the 12 states - Arizona, Georgia and Idaho.

Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization. The measure is extremely unlikely to become law because Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House.

"LET HER SPEAK"

Davis, who began speaking at 11:15 a.m. local time was prevented by procedural rules from deviating off topic or taking a break by eating, leaning against her desk, sitting down or using the rest room.

Republicans at different times sought to use those rules to disrupt Davis by charging that she meandered off topic and, at one point, received help adjusting a supportive back brace.

Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, the Senate president, suspended the filibuster after roughly 10 hours, to cries of "let her speak" from supporters.

Democrats appealed the ruling, sparking a row over parliamentary rules, which Republicans used to force a vote.

Davis whittled away chunks of time by reading testimony and other messages from women and others decrying the legislation, reciting previously suggested changes to the bill and tapping into her own life history as a single mother at 19. She said the bill would have choked of her own access to a local Planned Parenthood clinic.

"I was a poor, uninsured woman, whose only care was provided through that facility. It was my medical home," said Davis, now 50, several hours into her speech.

The Texas proposal would allow exemptions for abortions to save a woman's life and in cases of severe fetal abnormalities.

"In Texas, we value all life, and we've worked to cultivate a culture that supports the birth of every child," said Texas Governor Rick Perry, who called the special session and is likely to sign the measure into law.

The American-Statesman newspaper in Austin reported that the Senate never officially adjourned and that an entry on the online Texas Legislative Service showed the bill was originally passed on June 26 but the entry was amended shortly after 1 a.m. local time to show a pre-midnight passage.

The debate over abortion simmers elsewhere.

North Dakota's only abortion clinic on Tuesday filed a federal challenge to a new state law, the most restrictive in the country, one that would ban procedures to end pregnancy once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks.

A Philadelphia jury last month convicted abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell of murdering three babies during abortions at a clinic in a high-profile case that focused national attention on late term abortions.

(Writing and additional reporting by Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Janet