Law enforcement officers in Phoenix, Arizona, used tear gas to smash a significant group of protesters in front of the state Senate building after the decision of the US Supreme Court to overturn the remarkable decision to abort Rowe against Wade.
“Protesters threatened to break the glass at the entrance to the Arizona Senate,” Republican Sen. Wendy Rodgers tweeted as members were in the middle of voting on a series of bills.
The situation is escalating into a hostage situation as lawmakers have been instructed not to leave the building, Republican Sen. Kelly Townsend said.
Later, the Republican Group of the State Senate called the protest an attempt at an “uprising.”
“We are currently being held hostage in the Senate building because the public is trying to disrupt our security,” Townsend tweeted Friday night. “We smell tear gas and one of the members’ children are in the office crying in fear.”
“I expect the J24 Committee to be set up immediately,” she added, referring to the January 6 commission that is investigating the uprising in the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
Deputies said law enforcement officers then used tear gas to disperse the crowds and regain control of the building.
“The crowd was scattered with tear gas. Rodgers added, noting that the protests were still ongoing and the situation remained “very dangerous”.
Another MP confirmed the use of tear gas outside the building.
“While we were working inside, we were interrupted by the sound of a crash and the smell of tear gas,” tweeted Sarah Liguori on Friday night. “The protesters cleared the Capitol.”
Heavily armed officers were spotted in and around the legislature.
Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita filmed the moment US troops lined up in the Arizona Senate building. Twitter / Michelle Ugenti-RITA Protesters see each other in the Arizona Capitol building after the decision of the US Supreme Court on Rowe against Wade.Twitter / Michelle Ugenti-RITA
Since then, the crowd of protesters has dispersed and lawmakers have renewed their legislative schedule in a secure room.
“We’re going to a safe room to go to the polls,” Rodgers said.
“Everyone is fine and we are finishing our work,” Townsend added.
“God bless you boys,” Townsend exclaimed.
“I feel safe in the Capitol as I sit next to three of my fellow senators who are armed,” added Arizona lawmaker Warren Peterson.
In the hours following the situation, several members thanked law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol.
“We are safe inside. God bless law enforcement,” Rodgers said.
The Republican Assembly of the State Senate also praised law enforcement agencies for preventing a “riot.”
“Attempts by abortion protesters to revolt in the Arizona Senate were thwarted Friday night by swift action by local and state law enforcement,” said Kim Quintero, the Republican Group’s communications director.
The GOP group said the “extremist demonstrations” were carried out by people “forcibly trying to enter [to the building] by breaking windows and pushing doors. “
“We are incredibly grateful to our local law enforcement agencies for intervening quickly in a situation that could be devastating and dangerous for our Senate members, staff and the public,” said Senate President Karen Fan.
Friday was the last day of the session for state senators, which ended a series of votes after the break.
The vote included a major expansion of the state’s private school voucher system, which passed through the House earlier this week.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Rowe v. Wade on Friday afternoon, effectively giving states the power to allow, restrict or ban the practice as they saw fit.
As of June 24, Planned Parenthood of Arizona has paused all abortions, both medical and surgical. Seven of the state’s nine licensed providers stopped abortions immediately, according to AZ Central.
Arizona has competing laws that either completely ban the procedure or limit it to 15 weeks after a woman becomes pregnant. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed the law to limit abortion to 15 weeks in March.
The old law, created in the territorial days of Arizona, strictly prohibits abortion. He also called for a mandatory sentence of two to five years in prison for offenders. The only exception to the ban is for abortions, which are necessary to save a woman’s life.
A Republican majority in the U.S. Senate said Friday that the old law banning abortion completely is applicable. It remains unclear which law will take precedence. The state judiciary, probably the Arizona Supreme Court, will have to decide.
At least 13 states have previously passed so-called “trigger laws,” which ban most abortions, following a Supreme Court ruling. They will take effect immediately or within weeks of Rowe’s cancellation against Wade.
These states include Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research group.
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