Washington, DC - At NARAL's dinner celebrating 30 years of abortion, a veteran Hollywood actor has questioned President's Bush's manhood because of his pro-life position on abortion.
Oscar nominated actor Ed Harris told the crowd of pro-abortion activists that Bush failed to meet the criteria for the "definition of a man" because of his failure to support abortion.
"Being a man, I have got to say that we got this guy in the White House who thinks he is a man, who projects himself as a man because he has a certain masculinity. He's a good old boy, he used to drink, and he knows how to shoot a gun and how to drive a pickup truck. That is not the definition of a man," Harris said to wild applause.
At the same gathering, actress Kathleen Turner said the political power shift to the GOP in last fall's mid-term elections., and the resulting shift in power to pro-life lawmakers, "scares the hell out of me."
NARAL's dinner at the Washington Omni Shoreham Hotel was scheduled to raise half a million dollars for the group, according to organizers. The event also featured the Democrats' six declared presidential hopefuls.
Harris said he believes it would be a "catastrophe" if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion 30 years ago.
The star of films such as "The Right Stuff," "Apollo 13," "A Beautiful Mind,"and the newly released film, "The Hours," Harris said his status as an actor could help sway people to the pro-abortion camp.
"If I have some identity in the world other than as just a human being, as an actor of some reknown, I don't know - maybe, maybe that makes some people think about why is he doing that, why does he feel so strongly this way," Harris said.
Asked if his involvement in the polarizing issue of abortion would potentially turn some audiences off to his movie performances, Harris was defiant. "That's fine with me, man, I don't care...I don't worry about turning off people at all," he said.
Harris said his involvement in the pro-abortion cause stems from his wife's influence. "I am here because my wife Amy's been a fighter for woman's rights. She has educated me over the 20 years we have been together to the point where she's got me in her hip pocket," Harris said.
Meanwhile, the Oscar-nominated Turner, who appeared in such films as "Body Heat," "Prizzi's Honor," and "Peggy Sue Got Married," also believes that her status as an actress gives her credibility. "I am a respected actress of many years," she said. "I feel it's very important to stand up for my beliefs."
Turner doubts the veracity of pro-life activists who identify themselves as Christians. "Candidly, I am afraid it is very much a religious movement, a religious-right movement, which I would hesitate to qualify as Christian because to me, Christianity is about love and to be able to love and I see little of that in their actions," she said.
According to Turner, "We need to have woman's choice and position it as a civic right as opposed to a moral choice." She then paused and congratulated herself on her statement by noting, "That was very deep."
Later, in her speech to the crowd, Turner said nothing was "more awful than bearing a child who will not be fed, will not be loved."
"I am a dedicated pro-choice activist because I am terrified for my daughter," she added.
Meanwhile, Oscar-nominated actress Amy Madigan, who co-starred in the film Field of Dreams, said she believes opponents of abortion are "very committed and it's from a very religious point of view, a moral point of view." Madigan is married to actor Ed Harris and served on the board of NARAL.
"I feel we're really under threat, and we really have to mobilize, and what better time than the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade? I think it's very serious," Madigan said.
Dr. Olga Fairfax, one of the dozens of pro-life activists who gathered outside the hotel to protest the event, found it ironic that NARAL believes its positions are in step with America.
"Didn't we win in November? They are calling themselves the majority. There will be hundreds of thousands of people here Wednesday for the pro-life march on Washington," Fairfax said.