AOC Was Down To Get Arrested For Abortion Rights
That’s a face that says, “and I’ll do it again.”
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s staggering June 24 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, people all over the country are protesting against the dramatic rollback of reproductive rights in abortion-hostile states — including some of the nation’s most well-known politicians. On July 19, over a dozen Democratic members of Congress were arrested in front of the Supreme Court by Capitol Police during an abortion rights protest, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s reaction to getting arrested for abortion rights was absolutely everything.
Wearing green bandanas saying, “Won’t Back Down,” protestors marched from the Capitol building to the Supreme Court, which has been fenced off since the court’s initial draft decision to overturn Roe leaked on May 2. Shortly after arriving, per CNN, Capitol Police began ordering protesters to “cease and desist.” However, instead of complying, the protesters — 17 of whom were Democratic members of Congress — sat down on the street, and were arrested one by one while chanting “the people, united, will never be divided.”
Ocasio-Cortez, one of the 17 members of Congress arrested during the protest, posted videos and Instagram stories of herself being led away by Capitol Police officers, along with a photo of some of her paperwork. “17 members of Congress (16 women and one man) were arrested outside SCOTUS along pro-choice activists and organizers today,” she wrote in one of her July 19 story captions. Per CNN, the list of politicians arrested alongside Ocasio-Cortez includes: Katherine Clark, Ayanna Pressley, Barbara Lee, Jackie Speier, Sara Jacobs, Ilhan Omar, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Andy Levin, Rashida Tlaib, Jan Schakowsky, Madeline Dean, Cori Bush, Carolyn Maloney, Nydia Velazquez, and Alma Adams.
From observing the visibly satisfied expression on her face as she was being led away by Capitol Police officers, it’s clear the congresswoman has no problems with being arrested while advocating for reproductive freedom. A total of 35 people were arrested, according to CBS News, including activists and protest organizers from the sister organization of the Center for Popular Democracy, CPD Action — an organization that has long been advocating “for a future of opportunity, equality, and inclusion,” for historically underrepresented communities. “Got my arrest paperwork,” Ocasio-Cortez later captioned alongside a photo of her $50 fine for “crowding, obstructing, or incommoding.” “This is my charge and fine,” she wrote. “Worth it!”
This is far from the first time Ocasio-Cortez has been vocal about her advocacy for reproductive rights. After the Supreme Court released their official decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, the congresswoman released a series of tweets criticizing the move. “Overturning Roe and outlawing abortions will never make them go away,” she wrote in her June 24 post. “It only makes them more dangerous, especially for the poor + marginalized. People will die because of this decision. And we will never stop until abortion rights are restored in the United States of America.”
Now that more and more anti-choice laws are popping up all over the country, it seems like Ocasio-Cortez — along with her colleagues in Congress — are taking a step in the right direction when it comes to fighting for abortion rights.
