US Rep. Veronica Escobar arrested outside Supreme Court during abortion protest

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, was among 17 members of Congress arrested Tuesday at an abortion rights demonstration outside the U.S. Supreme Court.

In all, 35 people were arrested, according to a statement from the Capitol Police.

Photographs show El Paso's congresswoman being led away by a police officer.

"Today, Congresswoman Escobar was arrested in front of the Supreme Court for proudly standing in defense of abortion access and reproductive freedom. Our rights are on the line,” a tweet with the hashtag #BansOffOurBodies said Tuesday on the lawmaker’s account.

In a statement later, Escobar said: “Protesting injustice in our country is as old as our democracy itself; it is a cornerstone of our history, a principle of our nation, and a faithful mechanism for the will of the people to be heard. That is why, in the face of unprecedented attacks on abortion access and reproductive justice, like the draconian laws and anti-woman agenda we are seeing from the Texas state legislature, Governor Abbott, and the Supreme Court, I joined several of my colleagues in front of the highest court in the land to make good trouble.”

She added: "My arrest today for civil disobedience was a small act in the centuries-long battle to ensure every woman has the freedom to make personal decisions with those they love and trust without politicians trying to control them," she said. "We stand on the shoulders of giants whose struggle against injustices everywhere lights the way forward: the fight didn’t start here, and it’s far from over.”

A fundraising email Tuesday from veronicaescobar.com also announced the arrest, stating: “Veronica was arrested today protesting peacefully at the Supreme Court. With women’s reproductive freedoms being eroded more every day, Veronica Escobar won't shy away from making good trouble.”

It added, “Although we don’t need bail money, we do need your help sending our fighter back to Congress this November.”

It asked for donations of $10 to $100.

The Capitol Police statement said: “The group of demonstrators went into the street around 1:15 p.m.

“It is against the law to block traffic, so officers gave the demonstrators three standard warnings to get out of the street.

“When the demonstrators refused to get out of the street, the officers arrested them for Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding (DC Code § 22–1307).

“First Street, NE re-opened around 1:35 p.m.”

The Supreme Court is on First Street.

The protest is the latest of several staged around the nation’s Capital since June, when Supreme Court justices overturned Roe v. Wade, the decades-old ruling establishing a constitutional right to abortion.

Capitol Police did not provide the names of those arrested.

However, CNN reported the other members of Congress arrested were: Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Barbara Lee of California, Jackie Speier of California, Sara Jacobs of California, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, Andy Levin of Michigan, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Madeline Dean of Pennsylvania, Cori Bush of Missouri, Carolyn Maloney of New York, Nydia Velazquez of New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Alma Adams of North Carolina.

Clark tweeted a photo of her being escorted away from the protest by a Capitol Police officer.

"The extremist Republicans are determined to take us back in time and take away our rights," Clark wrote in the post. "They can arrest me, but we won’t allow them to arrest freedom."

Maloney also tweeted a statement about her arrest, saying, "There is no democracy if women do not have control over their own bodies and decisions about their own health, including reproductive care."

She said Republicans' goal is to institute a national ban on abortion. "We will not let them win. We will be back," Maloney said.

Omar posted a video of her arrest to Twitter and wrote she was arrested "while participating in a civil disobedience action with my fellow Members of Congress outside the Supreme Court."

Evan Brandt, reporter for MercuryX in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, said Dean will pay a $50 fine.

Chelsey Cox of USA TODAY contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: US Rep. Veronica Escobar arrested outside Supreme Court