Capitol police

Sara Jacobs, AOC and 15 More Members of Congress Arrested at Abortion Rights Protest

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego, was among 35 people -- including 17 members of Congress -- who were arrested Tuesday during an abortion rights protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington D.C.

According to U.S. Capitol Police, demonstrators were arrested for "crowding, obstructing or incommoding," which refers to blocking the use of a street.

"Demonstrators are starting to block First Street, NE," the police department said in a tweeted statement during the demonstration. "It is against the law to block traffic, so officers are going to give our standard three warnings before they start making arrests."

The lawmakers and others -- many of whom wore green bandannas now synonymous with the abortion rights movement -- gathered to protest last month's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Jacobs took to Twitter regarding the protest Tuesday morning, writing "I won't stop fighting to protect reproductive health care, including the right to an abortion, and I will proudly put my body on the line to make it clear just how urgently we need to act."

Others arrested include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo. and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. They are expected to be released and fined.

Jacobs was among several, local Democratic lawmakers who chastised the Supreme Court ruling last month. In a statement, she said at the time that it would "go down as one of the most destructive, regressive, and shameful decisions made by the Supreme Court in our nation's history. As one of the few women of reproductive age in Congress, this attempt to strip people of their bodily autonomy is personal."

Copyright CNS - City News Service
Contact Us