Women dressed in 'Handmaid's Tale' garb protest at Capitol

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Eleven women dressed in costumes from the television show "The Handmaid's Tale" are drawing attention in the Missouri Capitol as they protest a proposal aimed at limiting abortion funding.

The women Wednesday walked through the Statehouse in red capes and white bonnets like those worn in the show.

The series is based on a Margaret Atwood novel about a totalitarian society in which human rights are trampled and women are treated as property.

One protester carried a sign that said "'The Handmaid's Tale' is not an instruction manual."

The budget proposal in the Republican-controlled Missouri Legislature would end funding for health-care centers that provide abortions or refer women elsewhere to receive abortions not necessary to save mothers' lives.

Lawmakers have until Friday to pass a budget.