In an epic rant at Monday's hearings on the renewed abortion bill in Texas, an opponent to the bill unloaded on the Senate committee with the truth, even as she was hauled out by state troopers.
July 9, 2013


h/t Democratic Underground]

There's not much more to say about this other than "Brava!" State troopers were ordered to remove her from the committee room, and they moved on to the next witness, but for that moment, she spoke truth to power and expressed the frustration of all of us.

The high points for me were when she called the pro-lifers out for their love of the death penalty, and also this:

Thank you for being you, Texas legislature. You have radicalized hundreds of thousands of us. And no matter what you do for the next 22 days, women and their allies are coming for you. Let’s start down the line. Senator Campbell, you’re an ophthalmologist. So I won’t be making you the expert on reproductive health. We can give you all the children with chlamydia and herpes in their eyes, since we don’t have Sex Ed in this state. And Senator Hegar, you are about as helpful --

Transcript below the fold with thanks to LaFeminista at Daily Kos:

Sarah: Thank you, Chair Committee, my name is Sarah [Lastname]. I’m a constituent of Senator Whitmire. I’m here to testify against SB1, because I’m tired of Republican primary politics, misogyny, and greed dominating the state I was born, raised, and schooled in.

And you know, I had some really eloquent remarks written out, but you guys have just worn me down all day. With all this terrible science, and glad-handing, and to be frank I get to move to New York next month, so I don’t have to live in fear of you Texas legislators anymore and what you’re going to do to my education system, or my healthcare system, ‘cause I’m going to a state that doesn’t kill its own inmates. That’s how pro-life it is, up there.

I will thank you, though, first. It was destiny that you would discriminate against us and try to force your way inside the bodies of Texas women. Thank you! For finally working against women so publically, and not in the shadows like you’re used to. Thank you for every single bad press conference with your bad information. Thank you for every hateful statement degrading women and girls to sex objects, and brood mares, and bald eagles, and leather wallets, like your eloquent pro-life supporters have done today.

Thank you for being you, Texas legislature. You have radicalized hundreds of thousands of us. And no matter what you do for the next 22 days, women and their allies are coming for you. Let’s start down the line. Senator Campbell, you’re an ophthalmologist. So I won’t be making you the expert on reproductive health. We can give you all the children with chlamydia and herpes in their eyes, since we don’t have Sex Ed in this state. And Senator Hegar, you are about as helpful --

Senator Jane Nelson: [strikes gavel] I will not allow --

Sarah: Excuse me. This is my government, ma’am. I will judge you. [speaking over Senator Nelson trying to interrupt] I will judge you, ma’am. Is this counting against my time --

Senator Jane Nelson: Yes, it is.

Sarah: -- the senator talking against me?

Senator Jane Nelson: Yes, it is. Yes, it is.

Sarah: OK, well I will just go ahead --

Senator Jane Nelson: I will not allow you to disrespect --

Sarah: -- and talk over her. This is how big of a fraud I knew you were, for being so proud of these proceedings all night. It’s a low bar that you hold yourself to that you [One State Trooper appears in background.] simply ALLOWED us to SPEAK.

And I will speak against an ophthalmologist [Two State Troopers grab her chair.] who says – [Two State Troopers grab her arms. Sarah leans forward to keep speaking.] Everyone on the internet can see what you’re doing right now. This is a farce. The Texas legislature is a bunch of liars [Third State Trooper comes forward to grab her.] who hate women. These men are paid off --

Senator Jane Nelson: Our next witness is Gary Oldham.

Sarah: [illegible] so they can tell us what to do with the inside of our bodies.

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