I was unfortunately confused into thinking this story had went up before, so I hadn't raised attention to it until late tonight.
Right now, ongoing in Missouri is a 72 Hour filibuster outside of the state capital in Jefferson City.
http://thewomensfilibuster.com/
You can watch video LIVE, right now. Previous videos of all hours are available through their site and youtube as well.
What is happening? Missouri is preparing to enact another series of anti-abortion legislation designed to stop abortion services in the state.
Senate minority leader Jolie Justus told Mid-Missouri Public Radio that the 72-hour waiting period bill was a Republican priority. “I have been told that this is something that, even if they have to use extraordinary measures to stop our filibusters, that they are going to pass this bill this year,” she said. Those extraordinary measures include a “previous question” procedural motion that could break the veto. Governor Jay Nixon, a Democrat, could also veto the bill, but so far he has passively allowed abortion restrictions to go into effect without his signature or veto.
Speaker of the House Tim Jones defended the bill in the same radio segment: “If we were to choose the opposite extreme, and the state were not to choose to protect life well, eventually the state would run out of citizens, it would run out of taxpayers and the state would cease to exist.”
http://www.msnbc.com/...
That's right. Republicans are fighting for legislation 'at all cost' for a 72 hour period because they believe the rates of abortion are so shockingly high that abortions will end humanity by causing us to fail to propagate our species.
I want you to think about the lack of math and science that went into that statement.
But abortion must be a booming business in Missouri if it can drive you to extinction, right?
The first speaker scheduled is Elizabeth Read Katz, who testified about her experience with an abortion following the discovery of a lethal fetal anomaly. “For me personally, after my husband and I had made this heartbreaking decision, I can’t imagine what it would have meant to be forced to wait three more agonizing days for the procedure,” she said in her testimony.
The bill, one of a slew of abortion restrictions proposed in the Missouri legislature this term, triples Missouri’s existing 24-hour waiting period. The state has only one abortion clinic, in St. Louis.
You've got it. A single clinic. ONE for the entire state is enough to wipe out all of humanity in the state of Missouri and beyond. They are thinking about the species here for pete sake!
http://www.stltoday.com/...
“You’re acting like women are stupid, like women are idiots,” said Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, during debate on the waiting period. “Hopefully this bill goes down in flames. You should not be in the womb of a woman.”
Elizabeth Nash, the state policy director for the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights and research group, said Missouri was among the top three states with the most abortion restriction introduced this year. The 72-hour waiting period has not been proposed in any other state this year, Nash said.
Inside the state house, Democrats are holding together, in another state that faces dark of night, outside of the eye of the public legislation designed to change the rights of those who live within their state.
8:48 PM PT: Missouri Democrats inside of the building are holding strong to their filibuster.
http://m.southcountymail.com/...
Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis City, and Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, argued that each time the bill has been introduced it has been by a man.
"Basically what that man is saying, is that a woman cannot think for herself, so I'm going to help her with that. I'm going to make sure she waits 72 hours because she doesn't know how to choose," Nasheed said.
Sater said his bill was not an anti-abortion bill because it in no way changed the laws allowing women to receive abortions.
8:49 PM PT: Women stand outside of the capital and continue their filibuster (the live link included, thanks to Sophia for this photo..
8:52 PM PT: Live Stream inside the Missouri Capital (Audio Only)
mms://chamber.senate.mo.gov/SenateChamber
8:54 PM PT: Women drove from all over the state to join in the protest..
(Most images courtesy of Progress Missouri)
8:56 PM PT:
It's a chat session in Senate just to hold the floor. Keep going.
9:14 PM PT: Is Missouri Approaching a Wendy Davis Moment the National Journal argues.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/...
upporters of the bill argue that the longer wait time is necessary for women to fully consider their choice to get an abortion. Republican state Rep. Chuck Gatschenberger attracted attention earlier this year, when he not-so-delicately compared the decision to buying a car.
"There's lots of things I do going into a decision—whether that's a car, whether that's a house, whether that's any major decision that I make in my life. Even carpeting. You know, I was just considering getting carpeting in my house. That process probably took a month," he said at a hearing on the bill last month. "I wanted to be as informed as possible, and that's what this bill is, having them get as much information as possible."
The bill also includes a requirement that the Missouri health department create a video with the information contained in a 26-page informational booklet already provided, which women would be required to watch, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
That's right. A 72 Hour waiting period and a video which shows them tons of babies while stressing completely non-scientific talking points in order to influence their decision.
Because we all know when you go to buy Carpet, as Rep. Chuck Gatschenberger points out, you are always subjected to a required 30 minute propaganda film
9:17 PM PT:
9:26 PM PT: Missouri Senator Gina Walsh reminds us from the floor that no one is 'pro-abortion' they are women facing a difficult decision, and using pressure, fear and false information doesn't help them.
9:31 PM PT: Senate Republicans move to address the previous question to shut down the filibuster and take a vote.
9:34 PM PT: Senate Stands at ease while the majority huddles around the Leader's office. They are seeing if they can move for previous question to shut down debate.
9:55 PM PT: Republicans file out of senate office. Long faces. Will they try to break the filibuster tonight, or reset for the AM?
10:03 PM PT: Lawmakers are filtering back into the chamber. Republicans may be prepared to shutdown filibuster.
10:10 PM PT: I realized this was missing above.. answered in comments but important.. this legislation was originally passed in March in the House, and has moved on to the senate. There was an attempt to change it by adding an exemption for victims of Rape, Incest & Sexual Abuse. That went down in flames.
Missouri's Republican-led Senate defeated Tuesday an exemption for cases of rape or incest to the state's mandatory waiting period between a woman's doctor visit and a scheduled abortion.
The party-line 22-9 vote came as lawmakers started debate on legislation, HB 1307, tripling the state's current 24-hour waiting period. That bill was temporarily set aside following the vote on the exemption Tuesday evening.
Republicans opposed the exemption and argued that a pregnancy resulting from rape should be treated the same as others.
"Should the unborn child of rape have different rights and are they less important than another unborn child?" asked the bill's sponsor Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville. "I don't think so. I think they are both equal."
But Democrats said crime victims shouldn't be forced to wait to terminate a pregnancy. The exemption would also have applied to the 72-hour period instituted under the legislation.
"This just victimizes them further," said Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence. "It's just three days to further reflect and be reminded of a crime they were a victim of."
http://www.therolladailynews.com/...
10:12 PM PT: Senate is back in session at 12:14AM
10:25 PM PT: Because this bill was altered, removing the requirement to watch a video that misinforms them, it will not go on to Jay Nixon but return to the Missouri Legislature house for a vote on the revised bill before it moves on.
10:27 PM PT: The Missouri Senate is now reading the bill subject for a vote. The vote will occur tonight.
Again, in another midwest state, legislation occurs in the dark of night on a weekday.
10:30 PM PT: The Bill passes, 22-9
The bill officially passes. The bill will be sent to the house for concurrence and then on to Governor Nixon.
10:35 PM PT: Early Voting
Missouri moves on to debating HJR 90, a joint resolution for a constitutional amendment on early voting. How does it work? It limits early voting to SIX DAYS prior to an election. Prohibits weekend and Late Night voting, and allows the legislature to arbitrarily terminate early voting by declaring they don't have the funds.
http://www.progressmissouri.org/...
10:46 PM PT: Thanks to all
Who followed. I would encourage you to follow up with their weblink or with Progress Missouri.
I have a meeting tomorrow in Western Kansas with a state-level candidate, so I have a long drive ahead in the morning and I need to grab some sleep.
I'll try to put together tomorrow after that the aftermath of the Missouri attempt to end early voting.
11:13 PM PT: The filibuster ended with this trade:
Rs get an effective end to early voting by amendment this cycle (still some hammering).
Rs get the 72 hr waiting period.
Democrats get:
Republicans drop voting restriction by ID resolutions
They drop Paycheckprotection
http://politicmo.com/...