Clark’s arrest follows multiple votes by House to defend reproductive freedom
Clark was joined by members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and women’s rights groups while standing up for reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy in a powerful call to action
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Katherine Clark (MA-05) was arrested while participating in a civil disobedience action for abortion rights at the Supreme Court in protest of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The protest comes after House Democrats have taken swift action to protect abortion rights including the second passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act.
Joined by members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, the leadership of the Center for Popular Democracy Action (CPD/A), and affiliate organizations, Clark demanded immediate action to protect reproductive freedom and end the extreme Republican agenda to criminalize individual reproductive health decisions.
“The extremist Republican Party is determined to take us back in time and make women second-class citizens. Their campaign to ban abortion is just the beginning of their assault on all our most sacred rights, and I refuse to stand on the sidelines as their rampage continues,” said Assistant Speaker Clark. “I am furious and heartbroken, and I will proudly fight for our right to abortion. They can arrest me, but we won’t allow them to arrest freedom.”
Last week, Clark voted to pass two critical pieces of legislation to codify abortion access and guarantee equal access to abortion care nationwide and prohibit any person acting under the color of state law, including private parties, from punishing and stopping Americans traveling for reproductive health care. This week, she will vote to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, to protect marriage equality, and the Right to Contraception Act to codify the right to access birth control into federal law.
Photos of today’s event can be found HERE. Footage can be found HERE.