Texas legislators "debating" the merits of the proposed bill SB1, a draconian anti-abortion measure that would shut down 37 of the state's 42 women's health centers that provide abortion services, found the heat a little too much to bear when Sarah Slamen found her way up to the public comment podium.
This incredibly self-possessed young lady let loose with a blistering statement celebrating the fact that she's moving to New York ["a state that doesn't kill its own inmates, that's how pro-life it is up there"] and excoriating those on the panel with such zeal that she was ultimately dragged from the hall just as she was getting warmed up with a down-the-line critique of each lawmaker's many faults and weaknesses.
Make no mistake, this was no Code Pink "crash the party" protest. This was an American citizen exercising her right to "petition her government for a redress of grievances" -- during a public hearing no less -- being denied her First Amendment right to free speech.
Disgusting. Thanks to the Supreme Court dismantling the VRA and Texas immediately implementing severe gerrymandering that previously was outlawed those legislators will remain safe for at least a few more cycles.
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