Deep in the Heart

For today’s post, I originally planned to write about something different, but I was so distracted by the events taking place down the road at the Texas Capitol that I simply couldn’t concentrate.  As I write this, Senator Wendy Davis is nearing the final quarter of her twelve hour filibuster to block the passage of several bills that will greatly impact the reproductive rights of women in Texas.  Senator Davis has gone without sitting, leaning, eating, drinking, or taking a restroom break for an entire work day, all the while talking and reading, in an effort to help prevent the passage of these controversial bills that have divided the state across party lines.  She is supported by hundreds of women and men, wearing orange to stand in solidarity with her.  With tennis shoes on her feet, she is holding strong as she stands for the rights of Texas women.  If she can last until midnight, the legislature’s special session will end, and the bills cannot pass.

By the time you read this post, it will all be over, and I have no idea what will happen next.  If the bills are not passed, our governor can (and probably will) call a second special session to pass them.

But today, even as elected officials seek to prevent half of their constituents from making our own medical decisions, I am proud to be a Texas woman, standing strong with Senator Davis.  Down here, there’s a bumper sticker you often see on the backs of cars: Don’t Mess With Texas Women.  That thought sums up the the stubborn, determined, never-give-up attitude of all Texans, and it most definitely applies to women.

I won’t go into great depth on the topics of the bills, but you can read a great post about them here.  And this is a related post I wrote back in 2008, before I became a mother.  Later that year, James was born, and that experience changed my life forever.  Two years later, I fought, literally fought my doctors for nine long months, to have the best birth for Rhys.  I’m fortunate to have good insurance and access to great medical care, but my time as a pregnant mother with a young child was a constant up-hill battle.  I chose that path and worked hard to create a happy ending, but many women in Texas don’t have the options I do.

Senator Davis is fighting for them and for me, as I write this, and no matter what happens, I am so glad she’s on our side.

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