A group of Democratic lawmakers were arrested Tuesday outside of the Supreme Court while attending an abortion-rights rally in protest of the ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade a month ago.
What’s happening? Per Business Insider, the lawmakers held signs in support of abortion while chanting slogans like “our body, our choice” alongside activists.
Details: The demonstrators were arrested for blocking traffic on First Street and refusing to comply to the standard warnings given by officers, the Capitol Police tweeted at 1:20 p.m., adding that a total of 35 arrests were made, which includes 17 members of Congress.
According to Axios, the 17 representatives are:
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
- Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.
- Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo.
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
- Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa.
- Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y.
- Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif.
- Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.
- Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass.
- Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif.
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
- Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich.
- Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C.
- Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
- Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas.
- Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.
What they’re saying: “Today my colleagues and I put our bodies on the line — because we will leave no stone unturned in our fight for justice,” Bush tweeted.
Maloney issued a statement upon her arrest.
“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. “I have the privilege of representing a state where reproductive rights are respected and protected — the least I can do is put my body on the line for the 33 million women at risk of losing their rights.”
“Today I was arrested in a civil disobedience action at the Supreme Court to protest Roe v. Wade getting overturned and the assault on reproductive rights across the country,” said Omar in a statement issued to Twitter. “I will do whatever it takes, including putting my body on the line, to protect our fundamental rights.”