3 Arrested Following Protests Against Supreme Court Abortion Ruling

Frank FangJune 28, 2022

Two people have been arrested following protests at the Supreme Court and another for disrupting traffic by protesting atop a nearby bridge over the court’s majority decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which has sent legislative powers for abortion access back to the states.

The two were arrested for the destruction of property, U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said on Twitter on June 25. They allegedly threw paint over the fence outside the Supreme Court building.

On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a seminal 1973 ruling that largely legalized abortion nationwide, following a 5-4 vote. The court also ruled 6-3 to uphold a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his opinion. “And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”

“It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives,” Alito added.

The ruling also reversed Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed Roe. The Casey decision had prohibited laws imposing an “undue burden” on a woman’s access to obtain an abortion.

Now, laws pertaining to abortion return to states, following the Supreme Court’s decisions.

Soon afterward, pro-abortion protesters began to gather in multiple cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington. Some decided to take their protests outside of the homes of Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices.

The USCP also announced that it provided assistance to protesters.

“The USCP and our local partners worked together to bring in cooling buses & additional people to help demonstrators with heat issues.