UPDATED 11:18 P.M
. CLEVELAND, Ohio — Police removed two men from U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge's congressional district public forum Wednesday at Case Western Reserve University after the men heckled the congresswoman about health-care reform.
About an hour into the meeting, a man shouted that the proposed bill would lead to killing old people, apparently referencing a claim that the health-care act would lead to "death panels" relegating some people to die because caring for them is too expensive. A few minutes later, a second man created an outburst and also was removed.
Fudge, a Warrensville Heights Democrat, told the audience she doesn't mind debate, but, she said, "This is still my meeting. I will be respectful of you, and you will be respectful of me."
After the two men were removed, a few opponents of health-care reform continued to boo her remarks. Police twice approached those who spoke up, but did not remove anyone else.
Still, the disruption at Fudge's meeting was tame compared to other incidents, including in-your-face shouting matches, that have erupted across the nation as Congress members have held public meetings stumping for President Barack Obama's drive to reform health care.
Except for the two hecklers, Fudge's two-hour meeting remained orderly. A handful of the more than 450 in the audience occasionally booed or called out as most in attendance applauded.
In other parts of the state on Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown also held public meetings. But there were no significant disruptions and no one was ejected.
It's unclear what happened to the two men. Afterwards, University Circle Police and CWRU police said that no one was removed from the meeting, although they acknowledged that many were turned away after the auditorium was filled to capacity.
After introductory speakers and handing out awards, Fudge spoke for 30 minutes, highlighting the federal dollars Congress has directed to Northeast Ohio this year. She also talked about health-care reform. She then spent nearly 45 minutes answering questions, most of which were about health care.
LaTourette's public meeting was at a senior center in Eastlake. He made no secret of his distaste for the health-care proposals Congress was mulling.
The Bainbridge Township Republican and a receptive audience of about 75 people talked about the same fears and rumors that have been debated throughout the nation this summer -- losing access to doctors and being denied care.
He said illegal immigrants make up a large portion of the uninsured and he doesn't think they should get coverage. He also said that the uninsured include young people who simply don't avail themselves of health insurance.
He appeared sympathetic to the plight of an elderly woman who said she can't keep up with costs, especially after receiving a $600 bill from a company that provides managed-care services for Medicare and Medicaid. She said she lives on $504 monthly in Social Security benefits.
"This is a wonderful, generous country and those that for whatever reason are without, we have to figure out how to get them into the umbrella," LaTourette said.
In Columbus, Brown hosted a lively two-hour health-care forum at Ohio State University Medical Center.
About 200 people crowded into a conference room while others were shuttled to a pair of overflow rooms where sound was piped in.
Outside, police watched as dozens more waved signs and engaged in sidewalk debates.
Inside, despite some heckling and heated discussion among audience members, Brown managed to focus on the costs and impact of health-care legislation.
Those in the audience seemed about evenly split between supporters and opponents of the working health-care reform proposals.
Mike Neutzling, 56, a nurse at the Ohio State Medical Center, got a burst of applause by saying that the legislation was "classic overreaching."
"The whole concept of limited government is being tossed out the window," he said. "When you have unlimited government, you have unlimited tyranny."
Brown accused insurance companies of giving people bad information about the legislation and telling them they will lose their private coverage.
"Doing nothing is unacceptable," Brown said. "If we don't do anything, then we might see premiums double and you may not be able to afford coverage five years from now."
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