Ayanna Pressley, Katherine Clark Arrested At Abortion Rights Rally

BOSTON — Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley of Boston and Katherine Clark of Revere have been arrested during an abortion rights rally, the offices of the two revealed Tuesday.

They were both arrested in an act of "non-violent civil disobedience" during a Supreme Court abortion rights rally in an attempt to protect abortion rights weeks after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Pressley's office said.

A Capitol Police officer was seen holding Pressley by the elbow as she held a sign that read "My Body, My Choice," in a video posted to Twitter by an aide. Pressley is now in the custody of U.S. Capitol police, her office said.

"They can arrest me, but we won't allow them to arrest freedom," Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark tweeted with a photo of her being escorted out by a police officer.

The two Massachusetts lawmakers' arrests are among 16 members of Congress and 34 total arrests, the Capitol Police tweeted. They said members of the rally were blocking the street and "did not move when given the standard three warnings" by Capitol police.

Pressley and Clark are among many Massachusetts lawmakers who have consistently fought for abortion rights. Pressley has said that abortion care is a "fundamental human right" and has vowed to continue the fight to protect it.

"Overturning the right to an abortion brings us to the horrifying reality of government-mandated pregnancy – we are now living in a dystopian nightmare," Clark said voicing her opinion immediately following the decision to overturn Roe V. Wade. "Forced pregnancy is morally abhorrent, and this decision will set women back decades. But we are not powerless. We will fight."

"Today, Congresswoman Pressley joined her colleagues and grassroots advocates for a non-violent civil disobedience to protest the Supreme Court’s cruel and callous decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and strip away abortion rights for everyone who calls America home," said Pressley's spokesperson Ricardo A. Sánchez.

"She, along with several of her colleagues, was arrested as part of the peaceful demonstration and is currently in custody of the U.S. Capitol Police," Sánchez added. "We will share more information as soon as it becomes available."