You may have read [url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/texas-abortion-bill_n_3501005.html]about a bill being introduced[/url] in Texas that included some of the "toughest abortion measures in the country". The bill needed to be voted on by lawmakers by midnight to be passed on to the governor to be signed, and it it wasn't signed, it wasn't passed on.
Senator Wendy Davis therefore planned to speak for 13 hours straight in an attempt to deliberately not allow the vote to take place. She was not permitted to eat, drink, sit, etc... or her "turn" would be over.
She spoke for almost 11 hours before being rebuked for a third and final time, which ended her speech. For the 15 minutes remaining of the day, protesters [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsfmNF3u2yo]in the[/url] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJywriOad7o]gallery[/url] and [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02kPpNCHj0Q]outside the chamber[/url] made so much noise, the vote could not take place. Thus, the vote that did take place was after midnight and it was not valid.
Now, regardless of my opinion of abortion, these deliberate acts to disrupt the democratic process were an absolute disgrace. Perhaps it was because I was not aware of exactly what this practice of "fillibustering" was, but if anything, this should show why there should be fixed time limits set.
Opinions?
Edit:[quote]Most of you have missed the point of this. It wasn't about abortion, it was about the stupidity of the fillibuster.[/quote]
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Filibustering is almost exclusively used by republicans to disrupt key bills going through the house and senate. Funny that you would bring it up as soon as democrat does it...