The politicians rallied in front of the US Capitol before marching to the courthouse, chanting “our bodies, our choice” and “we will not go back.” The group, which included prominent progressive leaders Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush, stood along a crosswalk, or crosswalk, in front of the courthouse, which is surrounded by a large black fence that claims to be non-climbable and rigged to keep protesters at bay. The group sat in the middle of the road as an act of peaceful civil disobedience as a group of police gathered around them, broadcasting a recorded message announcing an imminent arrest for blocking the road. Police then began arresting the lawmakers, handcuffing them and leading them to an area that was off the road. Several members of Congress, including the @AOC, were arrested by Capitol Police for blocking traffic outside the Supreme Court in an abortion rights protest: pic.twitter.com/fysQN1oBAw — Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) July 19, 2022 A live stream of the protest was posted online by CPD Action, the protest arm of the Center for People’s Democracy, a social justice organization that was coordinating the direct action. CPD Action said 18 members of Congress were arrested. Seventeen were women. Andy Levin of Michigan was the only congressman among them. In a statement, Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat who was also arrested, said: “I am privileged to represent a state where reproductive rights are respected and protected – the least I can do is put my body on the line for which 33 million women are at risk of losing their rights”. Jackie Speier, a representative from California who was also arrested, said on Twitter: “Proud to march with my Democratic colleagues and stand up for women’s rights, abortion rights, people’s rights to control their bodies and the future and our democracy. “ It’s been less than a month since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision, which protected the right to abortion under the constitution. Abortion is now banned or threatened to be banned in 60% of states. The backlash against the high court, which is now dominated by six conservative justices, including three appointed by Donald Trump, intensified in May when a draft decision to overturn Roe was leaked. Soon after, the court installed the 7-foot security fence. Immediately after the official decision was announced, mass protests swept the US from New York to Los Angeles, including major cities in Republican-led states such as Missouri and Texas. Joe Biden has announced and the House has since passed bills offering federal protections — but these are largely symbolic as the Senate is certain to reject such legislation and as individual states now have the right to dictate abortion regulation. Analilia Mejia, co-executive director of the People’s Democracy Action Center, said the protest “sent a strong message to Republican lawmakers and [the supreme court]: we will not back down. “Our rights, our freedoms and our reproductive autonomy matter. Abortion is health care and a human right – and you do not represent the vast majority of Americans who believe that we, not the government, should dictate our own health decisions.” Polls show solid majorities in favor of legalizing abortion in at least some cases. Mejia said: “We will not stop fighting for the world our communities deserve – a world that honors our right to decide our future.”
