Rashida Tlaib slams abortion opponents, says 'maybe you should not even want to have sex with me'
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), on Wednesday, accused pro-life protesters of being "obsessed" with women's bodies.
The Michigan Representative appeared to call for a sex strike as she emphasized the power women have over their own bodies to assert their rights and say "enough is enough."
“This past year, I realized — my, my, my are they obsessed with our bodies, how we talk, how we look, what we stand for," the lawmaker said. "I mean this type of policing of our bodies is so interconnected to all the social justice movements all around the country."
Tlaib made the statement during oral arguments for the first Supreme Court abortion case since Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed as abortion activists rallied outside of the courthouse.
"You know I, in the legislature, in the Michigan legislature for six years, used to say to people, ‘Y'all y'all, you know what? You’re so freakin obsessed with what I decide to do with my body, maybe you shouldn’t even want to have sex with me,’ or with you, or with any woman," Tlaib stated as she gestured toward the cheering crowd.
Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in the June Medical Services v. Gee. This is set to be the first abortion case the top court will hear in nearly three years.
Pro-choice activists fear the case could well be the vehicle the conservatives in the court might use to dismantle the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which established the right to an abortion for Americans.
The June Medical Services v. Gee is based on a Louisiana law passed in 2014 that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital within 30 miles of the abortion clinic.
Pro-choice advocates, however, have slammed the law, saying such legislation serves no medical purpose and is put in place to shut down abortion clinics. The 2014 law was challenged by one of the affected clinics, June Medical Services, and two doctors, who would be forced to close under the law.
The case hearing is key considering it would be the first abortion-related case to be heard by both Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, who are both considered conservatives, and would likely side with the abortion-restricting law.
There are also concerns that the conservative justices could use the case to revisit Roe v. Wade as multiple Congress Republicans and anti-abortion groups are in favor of overturning the landmark decision.