Planned Parenthood supporters rally near the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. (Photo by Julie Strupp)

Hundreds of Planned Parenthood supporters marked the home stretch of the Affordable Health Care Act overhaul debate with a fiery rally last night near the U.S. Capitol, condemning Republican efforts to roll back health care coverage. Several prominent Democratic Senators emerged from the building to speak, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris from California, Chris Van Hollen from Maryland, and Al Franken from Minnesota. They urged Obamacare defenders to hold tight for another 36 hours, and to not let up on phone calls, emails, and other activism.

“When I’m on the Senate floor talking with other Senators, folks are talking about you,” Kamala Harris told the crowd. “They’re talking about you being at their town halls. They’ve talked about how you have been calling their offices.”

Planned Parenthood would lose funding under each of the health care replacement and rollback bills so far proposed by Republicans. According to Planned Parenthood, one in five American women will use their services at some point in her life.

Today lawmakers are bracing for what will likely be a grueling marathon series of votes which could extend into the wee hours of the morning. The text of the latest GOP proposal—a drastically scaled-down version of the 2015 Obamacare repeal bill—has not yet been seen by senators or the public. The so-called “skinny bill” currently being considered by Republican leadership would roll back Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates, but leave Medicaid untouched. It would also likely strip out the law’s tax on medical devices, which is popular with both parties.

Tuesday night and Wednesday two health care bill proposals were soundly voted down, but Republican party leadership is desperate for a win.

“We’re not backing down. Planned Parenthood is how millions of women and men receive basic health care in America. If someone can’t afford it, Planned Parenthood is still there,” says Democratic Senator of Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren. “Planned Parenthood was there for us, and I guarantee we’ll be there for Planned Parenthood.”

Tonight’s debate is expected to culminate in a “vote-a-rama” (yes, that’s the real term), in which senators can introduce an unlimited number of amendments, often to make a political point and force opposing party members to cast embarrassing votes. On Wednesday Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Democrats, who had been proposing hundreds of amendments as a stall tactic, will stop doing so during the remaining debate until the “final” GOP proposal is revealed.

This summer has seen nearly 500 arrests of people protesting health care repeal at the U.S. Capitol, and many groups are vowing to redouble their efforts during what many hope are the dying throes of Obamacare repeal and Planned Parenthood defunding efforts this week.

“When I was just graduating from college, I wasn’t able to get birth control for under $60 a month because of my high deductible insurance plan, and it came to the point where I had to choose between groceries or protecting my reproductive health. A friend of mine said I should go to Planned Parenthood,” says Catherene Buxton, who is from Portland, Maine. “I’m here because this fight is personal for me as a patient.”

Speakers included faith leaders, medical professionals, moms, and medical professionals who talked about care Planned Parenthood had given to their patients when they could not afford services from other providers. They spoke about how devastating this bill could be.

“For me, Planned Parenthood has been the reason I’m able to cope with my sexual assault,” says Tatiana Perkins, who is from Seattle and interning in D.C. “I’d like to reiterate how harmful this bill is. So many people rely on Planned Parenthood. For a lot of LGBTQ people, a lot of people who are misrepresented and who are lower income, this bill could be devastating for them.”

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