Wendy Davis: Texas Legislator Who Killed Abortion Bill Was Teen Mom, Harvard Law Graduate
Wendy Davis stood for 11 hours to kill a Texas bill that would have placed restrictions on abortion clinics, fighting to give Texans a choice that she never took herself.
The 50-year-old Davis grew up in poverty, getting a job at age 14 to support her single mother and three sibling. At age 19, Wendy Davis got pregnant herself, working two jobs in an effort to create a better life for her daughter.
This week she stood in an 11-hour filibuster — as Republicans tried to deny her assistance from other legislators — to kill abortion bill SB5. The bill had widespread opposition from liberal and pro-choice groups that claimed it brought some of the harshest abortion restrictions in the country.
After the filibuster by Davis,Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst declared the bill dead.
Proponents of the bill said it was designed to improve the health of women. It would have banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and called on clinics to upgrade facilities, gaining classification as ambulatory surgical centers. Doctors would also be required to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles.
Within hours of the filibuster and the national news it created, Wendy Davis became a celebrity of sorts. Her name was one of the most searched terms of Google, and news articles about her filibuster also focused on the legislator’s unique history.
After working as a single mom, Davis became the first person in her family to graduate from college, getting a degree from Texas Christian University before going to Harvard Law.
After a few years working at a title insurance business, Davis started her own law practice for federal and local government affairs, real estate, and contract compliance.
From there Davis moved into politics, serving nine years on the Fort Worth City Council before getting elected to the state Senate in 2008. There she became the 12th Democrat, giving her party enough members to keep Republicans from stopping debate on bills.
Wendy Davis isn’t a stranger to the filibuster, either. In 2011, she used the tactic to fight a budget that underfunded public schools, and within two years got the $5 billion gap closed.
