Pro-Choice Speaker Is Hauled Out of Texas State Senate

"Simply unbelievable," was the first phrase that came to mind after I watched a clip of a young Texas woman named Sarah deliver testimony against the the state's anti-abortion legislation during a hearing Monday. That was, before she was interrupted mid-sentence by the senators she was addressing...and then dragged out of the room by several state troopers.

Then I realized that "appalling," "abhorrently unfair," and "despicable" are actually better descriptors, and that these days, one should be prepared to see just about anything when it comes to the far-right anti-abortion agenda.

The legislation Sarah is protesting would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and close 37 of the 42 abortion clinics in the state. Before getting hauled out of the meeting, Sarah said,

"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 publicly, 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."

The clip is an absolute must-watch.

How ironic is the line, "Thank you! For finally working against women so publicly..."? The Texas state Senate couldn't be doing so more blatantly in its repulsive decision to remove her from the room.