With Abortion As Overhaul Hot Button, Protestors Come On Strong

By Julie Rovner

As the House heads for a showdown vote this weekend on its huge health overhaul bill, it remains unclear whether Democrats have the 218 votes they need to pass their measure. And abortion is a big reason why.

Abortion protesters gave Congress an eyeful and an earful this week. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

There have long been so-called "pro-life" Democrats; otherwise liberal members who are also strongly anti-abortion. Many of them are also strongly pro-health overhaul, but they want very much to write strict limits on federal funding of abortion into the bill. Such limits are strongly opposed by a majority in their party, but at the moment, there just may be enough of those anti-abortion Democratic votes to threaten the bill's passage.

The closeness of the vote has abortion foes from outside Washington feeling emboldened. But the vehemence of the anti-abortion demonstrators last week as House Democrats' unveiled their health overhaul bill even took some hardened reporters aback.

"Nancy Pelosi, you'll burn in Hell for this," they shouted at the House Speaker from a hundred or so yards from where leaders were happily unveiling their health bill. "Health Care is a Toxic Asset," read one of the more repeatable signs held up by one of the couple of dozen abortion protesters.

But as it turned out, that was only part one of the anti-abortion barrage against the Democrats' bill.

Part Two took place yesterday. About 200 protesters gathered outside the speaker's suite in the Cannon House Office Building. Many took a prone position, blocking the door and refusing to move until they were hauled off by the Capitol Police. A dozen people were ultimately arrested, charged with offenses ranging from unlawful entry to disorderly conduct.

And they were quite the, how shall we put it, colorful bunch. "I'm dressed as Nancy Pelosi Burning in hell," Diana Rocco-Grady told NPR's Andrea Seabrook. "So I have a suit on that's singed and covered in blood and I have chains on, and I had dead babies draped from me."

You can hear the rest of Andrea's story on All Things Considered tonight.