Senator Wendy Davis's 11-hour speech helps defeat abortion bill

Hundreds of jeering protesters have stopped the passage of an abortion bill in Texas after a marathon filibuster failed to block the new law.

Democrat senator Wendy Davis spent almost 11 hours on her feet talking non-stop in an attempt to derail a harsh abortion bill which would shut down the majority of the state’s abortion clinics.

It was initially thought the bill would go through before the midnight deadline when Senator Davis was forced to abandon her speech when she strayed off topic two hours too early.

But the state’s Republican Lieutenant Goveor David Dewhurst admitted noise from the 400 or so protesters staging a ‘people’s filibuster’ meant he couldn’t sign the bill.

He said ‘with all the ruckus and noise going on, I couldn’t sign the bill’ adding ‘we had an unruly mob’.

The filibuster attracted a frenzy of activity on social media, with even Barack Obama sending a tweet of support.

Wearing pink trainers for comfort, Davis, 50, launched her marathon speech in an effort to block a Republican-led effort to pass the bill by talking the entire way through the 30-day special session of the Texas state legislature.

To be successful, the Democratic Senator had to remain on-topic, keep standing and not leave the floor, even to go to the bathroom, for the duration of the session.

Davis wore pink trainers during her marathon speech (Picture: AP)

But it seemed her effort had been fruitless after Dewhurst suspended the speech after 1o hours 45 minutes, saying she had strayed off the topic for a second time when referring to a sonogram bill passed in 2011 and how the new abortion restrictions only compounded the anti-abortion laws in Texas.

Rules stipulate that if there are three sustained points of order then lawmakers can vote to end the filibuster - the use of long speeches to obstruct the passage of legislation.

Earlier in the evening, a fellow senator helped Davis put on a back brace, which angered some Republicans who said it violated filibuster rules.

That view was upheld in a vote, and she was given a waing and her speech was finally brought to an end when it was again ruled she had strayed off the subject.

Democrats launched an appeal against the decision and those in attendance were left uncertain whether the bill had been passed or not.