“I can’t believe what I just witnessed,” state Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston and chair of the House women’s health caucus, began a personal privilege speech in response to the vote to delay HB 60. “It’s a deliberate attempt to move other bills forward.” In her 20 years as a lawmaker, Farrar said she’d never witnessed the level of civic engagement such as that from reproductive rights advocates opposed to HB 60 and SB 5 — “nor the disrespect for witnesses,” shown by the committee members’ decision to cut off public testimony before hundreds of witnesses could testify. The House gallery erupted in applause when she finished speaking.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 00:22:23 +0000