Capitol police arrest protesters outside Supreme Court during abortion hearing
Capitol Police said officers arrested 33 protesters who were blocking traffic outside the Supreme Court despite repeated warnings.
The arrests came as protesters from across the political spectrum gathered outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday as the justices heard oral arguments regarding a Mississippi law that challenges the landmark Roe v. Wade decision on abortion.
The police said the protesters were arrested for "crowding, obstructing or incommoding in an area where protesting is prohibited."
Capitol Police said they had given the protesters three warnings to evacuate the area. Authorities added this does not affect the lawful demonstrators who are in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
We arrested a total of 33 people for Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding (DC Code § 22-1307). They were blocking traffic on Constitution Avenue.
This does not affect the lawful demonstrators who are in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
We will update this if anything changes. pic.twitter.com/R9qWxFPe9x
- U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) December 1, 2021
The Center for Popular Democracy Action said in a release that the organization, along with a group of reproductive health providers and other activists, blocked the road in front of the Supreme Court.
It added that the protesters were arrested for "civil disobedience" concerning Mississippi's abortion law.
The law, which bans virtually all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, conflicts with the 48-year-old decision that enshrined the right to an abortion before fetal viability, which occurs around 24 weeks.
The court's conservative judges, who constitute a six-member majority on the bench, posed pointed questions about how firmly rooted Roe v. Wade's viability standard is in the Constitution.
