Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Katherine Clark arrested at Supreme Court during abortion rights protest
WASHINGTON D.C. -- Massachusetts Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley and Katherine Clark were among dozens of people arrested outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday during an abortion rights protest. Pressley's press secretary tweeted a video of the incident.
Pressley is seen being escorted away by an officer while holding a sign that said "My body. My choice."
Just now, @RepPressley arrested protesting on the steps of the Supreme Court for abortion rights pic.twitter.com/Lh0US0BvbX
— mae | مي (@maeldahshoury) July 19, 2022
The representative participated in the chants as they walked. "If we don't get it, shut it down," she can be heard saying the video. Pressley, the police officer, and another woman walk underneath police caution tape before the video ends.
In a prepared statement, Pressley classified her protest as a "non-violent civil disobedience action" and said, "This Supreme Court has been relentless in stripping away our reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy, but we're not backing down. Today, we put our bodies on the line to defend abortion rights because the stakes in this fight could not be higher. Due to the cruelty and callousness of this Court, millions of people now face insurmountable barriers to abortion care and the health of our most vulnerable - especially our Black, brown, low-income, disabled, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ siblings - is now further at risk."
Clark tweeted a photo of herself and wrote, "The extremist Republicans are determined to take us back in time and take away our rights. They can arrest me, but we won't allow them to arrest freedom."
According to U.S. Capitol Police, a total of 35 people were arrested at the protest on charges including crowding, obstructing, and incommoding. Seventeen of those arrested were members of Congress.