Somerset Co. Dems Support Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman After Abortion Rally Arrest

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — The Somerset County Democrats Shared their "wholehearted support" for Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman (D-12) who was arrested Tuesday, along with 16 other congressional representatives, while protesting for abortion access outside the Supreme Court of the United States.

"Rep. Watson-Coleman and the protesters who joined her were simply exercising their constitutional right to protest, and we support them for standing up to fight for our rights to bodily autonomy and for a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body," according to a release from the Somerset County Democratic Committee.

Watson-Coleman was among 17 Congresspeople cuffed for "Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding" according to U.S. Capitol Police and Watson Coleman's office. Eighteen other people were arrested, police said around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The lawmakers had gathered outside the Court days after the House passed a suite of bills that would codify a right to abortion and preserve the right to travel across state lines to get abortions. The bills are nearly certain to fail in the Senate.

The legislative push comes weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, effectively making abortion illegal in several states and removing a constitutional right that had been in place since 1973.

"The Dobbs decision threatens the rights of everyone able to give birth to make decisions about their own bodies; anyone who stands up to peacefully protest this decision should be commended," said Somerset County Democratic Chair Peg Schaffer. "Supreme Court decisions like this one are a direct threat to our right to privacy and so many other rights that stem from a free society. One of those rights is the right to peaceful protest, and I support Rep. Watson-Coleman and those who joined her in standing up to protect our right to choose."

Watson Coleman represents New Jersey's 12th Congressional District, which includes much of Mercer and Middlesex Counties as well as some municipalities in Somerset and Union counties.

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