Pro-abortion protest in Los Angeles turns violent, at least one police officer injured



A pro-abortion protest in downtown Los Angeles turned into a violent clash with law enforcement after officers were called to disperse the increasingly disruptive crowds, resulting in the injury of at least one officer Tuesday night.

Fox News reported that the police officers were mostly monitoring the crowd, which started as a smaller gathering of around 30 outside the city’s federal courthouse building. As the night went on, the protest grew increasingly rowdy and disruptive. The crowd grew in size and had more than 250 people flooding Los Angeles’ streets and blocking pedestrian traffic.

The protest occurred despite state officials and lawmakers in the state of California vowing to codify the ability of Californians to access abortion in state law.

As the gathering grew in size, its attendees grew increasingly hostile and began throwing objects at the police officers present. The crowd’s violence prompted the Los Angeles Police Department to issue a citywide tactical alert during the heat of the conflict.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said, “We attempted to communicate, clear, and provide dispersal orders to the group.”

The police chief added that the “crowd began to throw rocks and bottles at the officers" when they were told to disperse.

Moore said that at least one officer from the Los Angeles Police Department was injured by members of the crowd.

At one point, members of the crowd even swarmed the police officers while the officers were in their vehicles.

A few protestors are tapping on the hoods of police cars as they attempt to clear the intersection.pic.twitter.com/40uCwwvgsD
— Andrew J. Campa (@Andrew J. Campa) 1651635823

On Monday, a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision indicated that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the controversial case that led to the proliferation of legalized abortion throughout the U.S.

After the draft leaked, protests were held in major cities throughout the country, seemingly following the lead of pro-abortion advocates who gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday.

After the leak, California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement decrying the decision as an “appalling attack on the rights of women.”

Newsom said, “This draft opinion is an appalling attack on the rights of women across this country and if it stands, it will destroy lives and put countless women in danger. It will be the end of fundamental constitutional rights that American women have had for nearly 50 years.”

Newsom continued, “We have a Supreme Court that does not value the rights of women, and a political minority, that will stop at nothing to take those rights away. This won’t stop with choice and the right to privacy. They are undermining progress, and erasing the civil protections and rights so many have fought for over the last half-century.”

Amazon will reimburse employees $4,000 if they cross state lines to get an abortion



Amazon is committing to financing the abortions of its employees.

On Monday, the second-largest private employer in the U.S. told its staff that it will pay up to $4,000 annually in travel expenses for “non-life-threatening medical treatments including abortions.”

Reuters reported that Amazon’s decision to subsidize its employees' abortions places the online mega-retailer on a growing list of large corporations with similar policies on the books. Citigroup Inc. and Yelp Inc. both announced that they would subsidize the abortion process for their employees in response to Republican-backed state laws limiting abortion access.

In a similar vein, the popular ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft previously vowed to cover the legal fees for drivers in Texas who encounter legal difficulties for driving women to abortion clinics, Fortune reported.

The company’s new benefit will have retroactive coverage and is available to both its U.S. employees and their covered dependents who are enrolled in either the Premera or Aetna health plans. The reimbursement benefits are available to employees at all levels of the company. Warehouse workers and executives alike can be reimbursed for expenses incurred in their pursuit of an abortion.

However, in order to qualify for the reimbursement, the individuals seeking to receive an abortion must travel more than 100 miles.

Amazon announced that it would start financing abortions the same day that it stopped offering U.S.-based employees paid time off when they get diagnosed with COVID-19.

On Monday, a draft decision indicating that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturnRoe v. Wade was leaked to the media.

The draft is of the court’s majority opinion and is written by Associate Justice Samuel Alito. It is believed that the opinion had already circulated inside the court prior to it being leaked.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito wrote.

Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division,” Alito continued.

The draft decision is related to an outstanding challenge against a piece of pro-life legislation out of Mississippi.

“The inescapable conclusion is that a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions,” Alito concludes. “On the contrary, an unbroken tradition of prohibiting abortion on pain of criminal punishment persisted from the earliest days of common law until 1973.”

Oklahoma will now prosecute abortionists performing non-medically necessary abortions



On Tuesday, Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law that bans abortion in nearly all cases.

The legislation, SB612, which passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives last week and the Oklahoma Senate last year, makes performing an abortion a felony.

NBC News reported Stitt signing the bill into law as “part of an aggressive push in Republican-led states across the country to scale back abortion rights.”

The Oklahoma House voted to pass the bill 70-14, and it passed in the Senate 38-9.

Any individual convicted for carrying out or attempting to carry out an abortion would face up to 10 years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine.

At the time, Republican State Rep. Jim Olsen noted that the legislation is focused on punishing medical professionals who perform abortions and not the women who receive them.

He said, “The penalties are for the doctor, not for the woman.”

The bill specifically states that it does not “authorize the charging or conviction of a woman with any criminal offense in the death of her own unborn child.”

However, Olsen noted that the legislation would allow doctors to perform abortive procedures should it be necessary to save the life of an expectant mother.

“Obviously, I’m thrilled because we have the potential of seeing many lives of babies saved — part of that depends on future court rulings.”

Gov. Stitt announced via Twitter that he would sign SB612 into law.

He said, “I intend to make Oklahoma the most-pro life state in the country.”

I intend to make Oklahoma the most-pro life state in the country.\n\nThis morning I will sign SB612 into law. \n\nTune in live at 9:00am CT here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0gVm9l2Z-M\u00a0\u2026
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@Governor Kevin Stitt) 1649770007

Stitt said, “As Governor, I promised to sign every piece of pro-life legislation that hit my desk. Today I kept that promise by signing SB612 into law, once again showing the world that Oklahoma is the most pro-life state in the country.”

Pro-abortion political figures were quick to reprimand Oklahoma for the steps it took to protect life.

California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Oklahoma for protecting the life of an unborn child who was conceived in rape and inaccurately said that the law makes it so that “doctors performing reproductive care should be bounty-hunted.”

Now law in Oklahoma:\n\n- A woman who is a victim of rape or incest must give birth to a child.\n\n- Doctors performing reproductive care should be bounty-hunted.\n\nShameful.https://apnews.com/article/abortion-oklahoma-law-87880e9f3c7bde2ae634cb2f02839e6e\u00a0\u2026
— Gavin Newsom (@Gavin Newsom) 1649812782

Molly Jong-Fast, a leftist author at the Atlantic, lamented that SB612 marks an end to easy abortion access. She said, “This is not a drill. This is the end of Roe [v. Wade].”

Oklahoma banned abortion today if left in place, Women will no longer be able to get abortions in the state of Oklahoma starting in August. This is not a drill. This is the end of Roe.pic.twitter.com/PDAGnldwKL
— Molly Jong-Fast (@Molly Jong-Fast) 1649778650

Planned Parenthood Action — a political advocacy group affiliated with the country’s largest abortion provider — referred to pro-life members of the Oklahoma legislature as “extremist politicians” who are “willing to turn their own constituents into medical refugees.”

JUST NOW: Oklahoma lawmakers passed a total abortion ban, pending the Governor\u2019s signature.\n\nThese extremist politicians are willing to turn their own constituents into medical refugees. \n\nAbortion is health care. And we'll keep fighting for your care, no matter what.pic.twitter.com/tRNgH9O89z
— Planned Parenthood Action (@Planned Parenthood Action) 1649179906