Rep. Ilhan Omar among 17 lawmakers arrested at protest outside Supreme Court
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Ilhan Omar was arrested while protesting outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday, her staff tells WCCO.
The protest was over the court's recent reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Omar later released a statement on Twitter, saying she was arrested "while participating in a civil disobedience action" and says she will continue to do everything in her power to "raise the alarm about the assault on our reproductive rights!"
She also shared video of her walking from the protest with her arms behind her back.
Today I was arrested while participating in a civil disobedience action with my fellow Members of Congress outside the Supreme Court.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 19, 2022
I will continue to do everything in my power to raise the alarm about the assault on our reproductive rights! ✊🏽pic.twitter.com/rpFYOGBDf4
In an interview with WCCO's Esme Murphy, Omar says she was given a ticket and will have to pay a $50 fine. Her picture was also taken while she was in custody, but not fingerprints.
"It was really important for us to be out there to put our bodies on the line. So many people who came before us put their bodies on the line for us to have the freedom's that we have today in this country," Omar said. "And that fact that Roe v. Wade being overturned has eroded some of those freedoms, I think this generation has to carry on this fight for the future generation."
Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri tweeted, then deleted, a photo of herself and fellow representatives Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib at the protest. Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley and Tlaib were also reportedly arrested during the protest.
U.S. Capitol police confirmed that 34 people were arrested at the protest, including 17 members of Congress.
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Abortion rights supporters - and those opposed to abortion rights - have been demonstrating near the Supreme Court since the court's decision to strike down abortion protections under Roe nearly a month ago. The court ruled that abortion is not a constitutional right.
Democrats are hoping to enshrine abortion access protections into law, but such a measure lacks support in the Senate under current rules.
The U.S. House last week passed a pair of bills aimed at restoring abortion rights nationwide in the wake of the court's decision, though the bills have little chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate.