Protesters in abortion demonstration charged with blocking traffic near Capitol

Stephen Neukam
·1 min read
7

U.S. Capitol Police charged seven people with crowding, obstructing and incommoding stemming from an abortion-related protest outside the Capitol, police said on Thursday.

Traffic was briefly blocked near the Capitol on Independence Avenue, near its intersection with New Jersey Avenue, Thursday morning as protesters refused demands from law enforcement to get out of the street, according to a Twitter post from Capitol Police.

Capitol Police confirmed to The Hill that seven people had been charged in connection with the protest. The agency said the demonstration was related to abortion but that it was “unclear” whether it was a pro- or anti-abortion rights demonstration.

The street was later opened back up for traffic, police said.

The arrests in the abortion-related protest come as rallies on both sides of the issue have popped up across Washington following the Supreme Court decision last year that overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping federal protections for abortion access. Following the court decision, lawmakers at the state level all around the country have moved to either increase access to abortion or put restrictions on the procedure.

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