At least 17 Democratic lawmakers, including progressives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, were arrested Tuesday at a pro-choice protest outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, police said.

Capitol Police said on Twitter that protesters had blocked traffic on a nearby street and that they received three warnings before officers made the arrests.

“We made a total of 35 arrests” for generating a crowd that obstructed traffic, police said. “That number of arrests includes 17 members of Congress.”

The small demonstration came three weeks after a controversial Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade Act of 1973, guaranteed the right to abortion at the federal level.

“Today I was arrested while participating in a civil disobedience action with my fellow members of Congress outside the Supreme Court”Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted.

“I will continue to do everything in my power to raise alarm about the attack on our reproductive rights!” he added.

 

Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York was also arrested and released a statement saying that “There is no democracy if women do not have control over their own bodies and cannot decide on their own health, including reproductive care.”

“The Republican Party and right-wing extremists behind this decision they are not in favor of life, but in favor of control of the bodies of women, girls and anyone who can become pregnant”, he added.

Footage from the protest showed Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and others being led away by police without handcuffs as they greeted supporters.

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