Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, begins a filibuster Tuesday in an effort to kill an abortion bill that would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
- State Sen. Wendy Davis has to hold the floor until midnight
- "Blind partisanship and personal political ambition" drive the bill, she says
- Critics say the legislation would shut down most of the abortion clinics in the state
- If passed, Gov. Rick Perry says he'll sign it
(CNN) -- A Texas state senator launched a last-ditch effort to block an abortion bill that would be among the nation's most restrictive, hoping to run out the clock on a special session with a 13-hour filibuster.
In a state where the founding mythology includes a famous last stand, Fort Worth Democrat Wendy Davis hopes hers will turn out a bit more successfully. She took to the floor of the chamber late Tuesday morning and will have to stay there, standing unaided, until midnight (1 a.m. Wednesday ET).
At the outset, Davis said she was speaking for families whose "personal relationships with their doctor and their creator" would be violated by the bill.
"These voices have been silenced by a governor who made blind partisanship and personal political ambition the official business of our great state," she said. "And sadly, he's being abetted by legislative leaders who either share this blind partisanship or simply do not have the strength to oppose it."
As for her own strength, Davis had a snack and a small amount of water before beginning, her office said. She may not lean and she cannot take a bathroom break.
The sneaker-shod senator spent much of the time reading testimony and messages from women decrying the bill and recounting stories of the struggles they, their friends or relatives faced in the days before birth control and abortion were legalized.
"Women realize that these bills will not protect their heath. They will only reduce their access to abortion providers and limit their ability to make their own family planning decisions," she said.
The bill would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and impose stricter standards on abortion clinics and the doctors who work at them. Critics say it would shut down most of the abortion clinics in Texas.
It has passed the state House of Representatives, and Gov. Rick Perry, a former Republican presidential candidate, has said he'll sign it.
"In Texas, we value all life, and we've worked to cultivate a culture that supports the birth of every child," Perry said. "We have an obligation to protect unborn children, and to hold those who peddle these abortions to standards that would minimize the death, disease and pain they cause."
While Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, they don't appear to have the votes to thwart a filibuster.
Abortion rights advocates were rallying behind Davis online, pushing the hashtag #standwithwendy on Twitter.
"Like never before, people in Texas are standing up to demand that politicians respect women's ability to make our own personal medical decisions, and the whole country is watching," Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement on the filibuster.
Richards -- the daughter of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards -- added, "This bill is dangerous and deeply unpopular, and it will hurt a lot of women. We won't go back, we won't back down, and we won't forget when these politicians are on the ballot."
CNN's Ed Payne and Dave Alsup contributed to this report.
