July 19 (UPI) — U.S. Capitol Police on Tuesday arrested more than a dozen members of Congress for participating in an abortion rights protest outside of the Supreme Court.
A total of 35 people, including 17 members of Congress, were arrested during a protest that saw demonstrators block First Street NE near the U.S. Capitol building, Capitol Police said, noting they issued three warnings before beginning to issue arrests.
The protests came after the Supreme Court last month voted to overturn the landmark decision of Roe vs. Wade, undoing its federal protection for abortion rights and prompting many states to instantly impose restrictive abortion bans.
Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; Barbara Lee, D-Calif.; Jackie Speier, D-Calif.; Sara Jacobs, D-Calif.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.; Andy Levin, D-Mich.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.; Madeline Dean, D-Pa.; Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.; Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; and Alma Adams, D-N.C., were among the lawmakers arrested Tuesday, CNN reported.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas also confirmed in a statement that she had been arrested, writing on Twitter that she and her colleagues “made #GoodTrouble,” quoting the late Georgia Rep. John Lewis.
“My arrest today for civil disobedience was a small act in the centuries-long battle to ensure every woman has the freedom to make personal decisions with those they love and trust without politicians trying to control them,” Escobar said.
Maloney also issued a statement confirming her arrest, saying that “the least I can do is put my body on the line for the 33 million women at risk of losing their rights” following the Supreme Court ruling.
“There is no democracy if women do not have control over their own bodies and decisions about their own health, including reproductive care,” she said.
The House last week passed the Women’s Health Protection Act which would codify Roe vs. Wade into law and the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, which would protect a person’s right to travel across state lines to obtain an abortion if it’s banned in their own state.
