By Steve Peoples
Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Governor Carcieri made an unscheduled appearance at an anti-abortion rally in the State House rotunda this afternoon.

"Let me encourage everything you're doing. Don't give up. Don't give up," Carcieri told the cheering crowd of more than 100, which included several young children.

"You're on the right side of this issue, you know that. There's no debate on this issue," he continued. "It's pretty clear to me. It's pretty clear to anybody who thinks about it very long."

Carcieri said he was concerned about "what's happening in Washington," an apparent reference to President Obama's recent decision to overturn a controversial ban on U.S. support to international aid groups that provide abortion services around the world.

The governor, who apologized that his wife, Sue, couldn't attend the rally, said he hoped the move isn't indicative of the president's policies for the next four years.

The rowdy crowd cheered passionately during the governor's brief unscripted remarks. Several people waved signs, including one that read "'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.' -God"

Carcieri had left by the time the rally ended with a group prayer.