Busy Philipps Arrested Outside Supreme Court Wearing ‘I Will Aid And Abet Abortion’ Shirt

Actor Busy Philipps was arrested while protesting for abortion rights on Thursday and said she “will not back down.”

The “Cougar Town” alum was detained for blocking traffic at a pro-choice demonstration outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, People reported. Philipps was joining Planned Parenthood leaders and activists protesting the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protected the constitutional right to abortion for nearly 50 years.

She was escorted away by U.S. Capitol Police while wearing a shirt that read “I will aid and abet abortion.” The 43-year-old subsequently posted footage of her arrest on Instagram, with a caption that called for peaceful protests.

“We will not back down, we will not give in and we will not stop fighting until there is equality for all Americans,” she wrote.

“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 same thing as the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We must ensure that it applies to all of us,” she added.

Philipps said she was proud to protest alongside fellow activists from the Working Families Party, the Poor People’s Campaign, Mi Familia Vota, Catholics for Choice, the National Council of Jewish Women, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the Center for Popular Democracy.

When asked by a Vice News reporter why she was being arrested, Philipps bluntly responded, “For equality.”

Philipps previously appeared before the House Judiciary Committee in 2019 to provide emotional testimony about her own decision to get an abortion when she was 15.

“I am so sad that we have to sit here in front of a row of politicians and give deeply personal statements,” she said at the time. “Because the ‘why’ doesn’t matter. It should not matter. I am a human being that deserves autonomy in this country that calls itself free, and choices that a human being makes about their own bodies should not be legislated by strangers who can’t possibly know or understand each individual’s circumstances or beliefs.”

This week, Philipps directly addressed her fellow citizens — and reminded them that abortion rights won’t go down without a fight.

“This is the fight of a lifetime, y’all,” she wrote in her Instagram post. “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.”