Following an eleven-hour filibuster by state representative Wendy Davis, and protests numbering in the thousands, Texas Republicans finally passed their restrictive anti-abortion bill, which is supposed to close all but five of the thirty-six Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.
How the legislation was passed is instructive of the underlying agenda:
Texas Republicans voted early Wednesday to move forward with new abortion restrictions, after limiting testimony at a public hearing, refusing to consider Democratic amendments and imposing strict security precautions to prevent disruptions from protesting abortion-rights supporters.
(Emphasis mine)
Source: Washington Post
The irony is striking. Republicans are usually the first to emphasize accountability and "consensus of the governed". That was partly the basis of their opposition to so-called "Obamacare" in 2009: Democrats have "pushed through" the legislation despite the fact that the American people "didn't want it".
Yet when it comes to unpopular legislation that harms women's health, Republicans are suddenly very, very concerned with making sure that We The People (whose opinion they claim to value more than almost anything) don't get a chance to speak out.
It just goes to show something that I've slowly begun to realize in the past five years: you can tell when Republicans are lying by simply looking to see if they are talking.
No comments:
Post a Comment