Protester, 30, is arrested after pro-choice group marches into Michigan House chamber and interrupts session to DEMAND the state strike down abortion ban which would come into effect if Roe v Wade is repealed
- Police briefly detained one protester while clearing out the legislature
- The protest lasted for about two hours in total but the focus has come on the 10 minutes in which they broke into a legislative session
- Activists cited that Michigan has a 91-year-old law on the books that bans abortion in the state that would come into effect if Roe vs. Wade is repealed
- The law bans women from having an abortion unless it is ‘necessary to preserve the life of such woman’
Several dozen pro-abortion protesters marched into the Michigan State House chambers Wednesday to demand action in the wake of the draft opinion from the Supreme Court that could overturn Roe vs. Wade.
The event was organized by the Michigan Coalition for Reproductive Liberation. Police briefly detained one protester while clearing out the legislature, according to the Lansing State Journal.
The protest lasted for about two hours in total but the focus has come on the 10 minutes in which they broke into a legislative session with pro-abortion chants.
Activists cited that Michigan has a 91-year-old law on the books that bans abortion in the state that would come into effect should Roe vs. Wade be repealed.
The law bans women from having an abortion unless it is ‘necessary to preserve the life of such woman.’
Demonstrator Cameron Lee, of Detroit, is taken into custody by Jon Priebe, Chief of Police for the Michigan House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms Police Agency
Several dozen pro-abortion protesters barged into the Michigan State House chambers Wednesday to demand action in the wake of the draft opinion from the Supreme Court that could overturn Roe vs. Wade
The event was organized by the Michigan Coalition for Reproductive Liberation
Rep. Cynthia Johnson, middle, and Rep. Sarah Anthony, right, reacted with cheers for the protesters
While Michigan has a Democratic governor in Gretchen Whitmer, the state’s two legislative chambers have slim but solid Republican majorities. Both houses are up for re-election in November.
Cameron Lee, 30, was taken away in handcuffs by multiple police officers.
Lee was released within an hour, having been given a citation for trespassing. He was the only person brought into custody or ticketed.
He says that he was attempting to leave after police had started dispersing protesters when an officer grabbed him and he grabbed back.
Pro choice activists said that lawmakers have not listened to their protests in the wake of the draft opinion leak.
‘If they’re not gonna listen to us in the streets, we take it to them,’ 24-year-old Zora Monico said.
Abortion-rights advocates, including Zora Monico, of Detroit, rally outside the State House floor
Volunteer Alex Cascio gathers signatures for a proposed abortion amendment at Ferndale Pride in Ferndale, Michigan
While Michigan has a Democratic governor in Gretchen Whitmer, the state’s two legislative chambers have slim but solid Republican majorities. Both houses are up for re-election in November
Pro choice activists said that lawmakers have not listened to their protests in the wake of the draft opinion leak
The group demands that the state pass legislation codifying Roe v. Wade into state law.
Democratic Rep. Cynthia Johnson and Rep. Sarah Anthony reacted with cheers for the protesters
The leaked SCOTUS draft was obtained by Politico in May. Written by Justice Samuel Alito, one of the six justices appointed by a Republican president who sit on the court, it repudiated both Roe v Wade and the 1992 Planned Parenthood vs Casey Decision.
If and when the draft is made final, the decision removes the federal right to abortion in America, leaving it up to elected officials in each state to decide whether or not women should have access to abortions.
Twenty-six states are likely to ban it if Roe v. Wade is formally overturned, essentially outlawing abortion in more than half of the country. Eighteen states already have restrictive abortion laws in place.
The news sent shock waves throughout Washington D.C. with Democrats vowing to codify the legal right to an abortion into law and Republicans demanding an investigation into the leak, claiming it was done to try and influence the high court ahead of its formal ruling.
Republican appointed-Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett all voted to strike down Roe with Samuel Alito, Politico noted
The beginning of the original leaked draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito