The “Girls5Eva” star told Vice News that she was being detained for “equality” while standing outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC. More than 180 people, including Planned Parenthood leaders and “Orange Is the New Black” star Alysia Reiner, were arrested for sitting and blocking an intersection approximately one block from the Supreme Court offices. The Capitol Police tweeted that they had issued a “third and final warning” to demonstrators to move before arresting them for “crowding, obstructing, or incommoding.” The Vice News video of Philipps’ arrest shows the “Freaks and Geeks” alum wearing a top with the slogan “I will aid and abet abortion” while being escorted away by officers. Philipps later shared photos and videos from her arrest on Instagram, saying she is “proud to stand today” alongside fellow protesters almost one week since the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade was overturned.
“On Friday, the right to make decisions about our own bodies and lives – a right we’ve had for almost 50 years – was ripped away from us by this new Supreme Court, a Court whose personal belief’s are NOT shared by the vast majority of Americans. I am one of those Americans,” Philipps captioned. “I was proud to stand today alongside Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Working Family’s Party, Reverend Barber and the Poor People’s Campaign, Catholic’s for Choice, The National Council of Jewish Women, mi Familia Vota, the Center For Popular Democracy Action, and NARAL in an action of peaceful civil disobedience to let lawmakers but more importantly, the people who will be most impacted by this outrageous decision, know that we will not back down, we will not give in and we will not stop fighting until there is equality for all Americans.” Philipps added, “I can think of no better way to use my privilege and voice than to amplify the message that bodily autonomy IS a human right, as it is ACTUALLY the exact same thing as the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We must ensure that it applies to all of us. This is the fight of a lifetime, y’all. It’s not gonna be short, easy or without setbacks. But we must MUST MUST keep showing up and taking action. YOU must. I promise I will…We need to show the fuck up now.” The “Cougar Town” star led 2019 social media campaign #YouKnowMe to destigmatize terminated pregnancies. Philipps shared the story of her own abortion at age 15. “The statistic is one in four women will have an abortion before age 45. That statistic sometimes surprises people, and maybe you’re sitting there thinking, ‘I don’t know a woman who would have an abortion.’ Well, you know me,” Philipps said during her former talk show “Busy Tonight” in May 2019. “I had an abortion when I was 15 years old, and I’m telling you this because I’m genuinely really scared for women and girls all over this country. And I think that we all need to be talking more and sharing our stories more.”
In an Instagram Stories video shared recently, Philipps said of her activism work: “I’m doing this for you guys. I’m doing this for my kids, I’m doing this for my mom, I’m doing this for my grandma.”
— VICE News (@VICENews) June 30, 2022
The intersection reopened at approximately 1:20 p.m. — U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) June 30, 2022 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.