‘Unruly mob’ of women shouts abortion bill to death in Texas

“Mr. President, parliamentary inquiry,” Van De Putte said. “At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over the male colleagues in the room?” The chamber gallery, full of hundreds of pro-choice demonstrators wearing burnt orange, erupted in screams and cheers. Seconds later, the thunderous cries began echoing throughout the whole Capitol as thousands outside the gallery learned what was happening, sending cheers down the three-story line of protesters waiting to get into the Senate chamber. It wasn’t the crowd’s first outburst, either — Dewhurst openly threatened earlier in the evening to “clear the gallery” if the crowd became noisy again — but protesters just kept shouting even after police began taking them out of the chamber. Online, over 165,000 people were watching the official live stream from the Texas Senate as protesters spent the rest of the special session literally screaming the bill to death, causing such a cacophony in the Senate that even when Republicans rushed to the front to pass the vote before midnight, some senators said they weren’t sure what they were voting on."