Democrat Rep. Arrested on Capitol Grounds

Rep. Judy Chu Among Those Arrested at Pro-Abortion Rights Protest on Capitol Grounds

On Thursday, Representative Judy Chu, D-Calif., was arrested at a pro-abortion rally on the grounds of the capitol building.

The rally was organized by Planned Parenthood and came less than a week after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that made abortion legal at a federal level. 

Chu chose to join the rally after she considered the people who were going to be most affected by the reversal of Roe.

“When I first heard Roe was overturned, I immediately thought of who would be most harmed by this decision: a young girl who is a survivor of rape, a woman who cannot afford to travel to another state to access critical care, an expecting mother with an ectopic pregnancy whose life is in danger because she cannot have an abortion,” Chu said in a statement.

“So, when I think of all these women — and more — the decision to join in a peaceful demonstration to make clear we will not allow the clock to be rolled back on abortion rights was easy,” she added.

Chu is one of the leading sponsors of the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill which seeks to codify Roe v. Wade. The bill cleared the house of representatives back in September but was blocked in the Senate by Senator Joe Manchin, D-Va. 

Now, Chu and other Democrats, including President Biden, are calling to eliminate the filibuster, which is in place so that any bill requires at least 60 votes in the Senate.

“We are in this together and we will not back down or be silenced. I am ramping up my calls to abolish the Senate filibuster — and actively exploring every option to ensure we pass my bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act, which establishes a federal right to abortion care, and have it signed into law,” she said. “Lives are at stake and this fight is far from over.”

However, The filibuster is likely to stay in place as Democrats do not appear to have the support to remove it. Both Manchin and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have vocally opposed its removal.

Capitol police arrested 181 people at the site of the rally after giving them several warnings to disperse.