( CNN ) -- State Sen. Wendy Davis ' stand in Texas was the `` filibuster heard round the world '' -- suddenly everywhere you look , you see news about one state or another rolling back reproductive rights . Even as all eyes were on resumed hearings in Texas late Tuesday night , the North Carolina legislature was busy sneaking anti-choice measures into an unrelated bill , and Wednesday that bill passed the state Senate over the fierce objections of North Carolina women . But the more I read about what is happening to women 's rights , the less I see about how anti-choice lawmakers are passing these bills . We 're taught as kids that cheaters never win , but that lesson did n't sink in with Republican leaders in Texas and in many other states where these rights are under attack . Instead they 've decided that if you do n't have the people with you to pass a bill , you can just change the process . Take the Texas bill : a hodgepodge of arbitrary restrictions , it would close nearly 90 % of the clinics that perform abortions in Texas , making it impossible for women across the state to access all sorts of medical care they need and deserve . It would also ban all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy , which compromises the moral and medical autonomy of women who need care . Following on 12 other states that have enacted the unconstitutional ban , Texas Republicans are trying to put in place costly restrictions to solve a problem that does n't exist : The number of abortions after 20 weeks is tiny ( less than 2 % ) and are most often sought by women in desperate circumstances , exactly the kind of cases that require close attention by doctors , not sweeping prohibitions by ideological politicians . The Republicans could n't pass this bill in regular session -- Texas law requires a two-thirds Senate majority for these measures , and the GOP simply did n't have it . So instead of building support the old-fashioned way for this radical legislation , Gov . Perry decided he 'd just change the rules . He called a special session after the end of the normal legislative period , and his friend , Lt. Gov . David Dewhurst , declared they no longer needed a super majority vote . What they did n't count on was opposition from citizens who knew the rules and would n't stand by while Republicans cheated . In the House , GOP committee members shut down legally mandated public hearings when witness after witness testified that they resented this intrusion into private , personal medical decisions ; then committee members voted on the bill in a private room where the public could n't see what they were doing . And finally , in the move that earned them national disdain , they tried to use every dirty trick in the book to shut down Davis ' historic talking filibuster in the final hours of this widely watched session . They challenged the content of her speech . They cried crocodile tears about her receiving assistance to don a back brace . They ignored Democrats who were raising legitimate procedural questions . Republicans presiding over the debate recognized their fellow Republicans when Democrats had the floor . One senator , Leticia Van de Putte , even had to ask : `` At what point must a female senator raise her voice or hand to be recognized over the male colleagues in the room ? '' And then , after Texans watching in the gallery erupted in jeers at the strong-handed tactics Republicans were using , the GOP leadership held a vote after midnight , after the special session had officially ended . They then changed the time stamp on the official record of the vote , only changing it back after they were caught red-handed . That meant the bill was dead , so Gov . Rick Perry did what cheaters do when they lose -- he called for a do-over . I wish I could say the tactics in Texas were the exception , but Republicans are using underhanded ploys like these to pass anti-choice bills all over the country . In Ohio , Republicans sneaked a requirement for unnecessary ultrasounds into a budget bill , without holding public hearings . In North Carolina , they shut out testimony from pro-choice activists late in the night to move their draconian measures to the floor for a vote . On Monday , I stood in the hot Austin sun with thousands of fellow Texans who share my outrage at this attack on our fundamental rights . But they did n't just cheer for Davis ' stand to protect women 's rights and health . They were there to celebrate the rule of democracy , rules that Republicans have shown they will change if it suits their political ends . But changing the rules does n't change the truth . I do n't know what will happen at this next special session in Texas , but I do know that if Republicans cheat their way to victory in this battle , they are going to lose the war for the confidence of the people they seek to represent . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ilyse Hogue .
Angela Davis : Texas is trying every trick in the book to get an anti - abortion bill passed . Many oppose bill that would close 90 % of abortion clinics in state , she said . Bush : GOP could n't pass this bill in regular session , so governor called special session . Bush : Texas bypassed legally mandated public hearings , tried to change time stamp of vote .