According to several reports, seventeen members of Congress including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among those who were arrested during an abortion rights protest outside of the Supreme court on Tuesday.
The protest took place at First Street NE near the Capitol building.
Capitol police say the group parked themselves in the area blocking the street and ignored their standard three warnings to avoid being arrested.
In total Capitol, police reported that they arrested 35 protesters during the demonstrations.
A spokesperson for Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts was taken into custody.
Democratic assistant speaker of the House Rep. Katherine Clark, AOC, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney were also arrested.
“There is no democracy if women do not have control over their own bodies and decisions about their own health, including reproductive care,” Maloney said in a statement. “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 Republican Party and the right-wing extremists behind this decision are not pro-life, but pro-controlling the bodies of women, girls, and any person who can become pregnant. Their ultimate goal is to institute a national ban on abortion. We will not let them win. We will be back.”
The charges the protesters are facing appear to be non-violent offenses and range from crowding to obstructing, and/ or incommoding.
Protests have been going at the nation’s capital since the Supreme court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this month.