On Tuesday, New York democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with her democratic constituents, marched from the Capitol to the Supreme Court, protesting the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade. This demonstration comes after more than three weeks following the overturn of the 1973 decision that protected women’s federal access to legal abortion.
Officers at the Supreme Court informed protesters that they were participating in “illegal demonstration activity” before advising those who didn’t want to get arrested to leave, which only ignited chanting and singing from the protesters.
In a statement, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., voiced, “There is no democracy if women do not have control over their own bodies and decisions about their own health, including reproductive care. 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.”
The collective of democratic lawmakers arrested were 17 in total, including Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), Alma Adams (N.C.), Veronica Escobar (Texas), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.), Katherine Clark (Mass.), Andy Levin (Mich.), Jackie Speier (California) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.).
The Supreme Court ruling has enraged Democrats across the nation, prompting those in the House to immediately pass two bills protecting legalized access to abortion, however it seems to be unlikely that they will pass in the Senate, which is currently split down the middle between Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
