A Sunday morning Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles in downtown Los Angeles was disrupted by protestors dressed in outfits similar to those on the “The Handmaid’s Tale” TV show.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Archdiocese of Los Angeles spokesperson Yannina Diaz said the group entered the church during a 10 a.m. Mass.
Video of the protest circulating online shows that the protestors had a sign in addition to the outfits. Others who were in the cathedral appeared to be encouraging them to leave.
“I have a right,” yelled a protestor in a red cloak and white bonnet at one point.
Based on the 1985 award-winning dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, “The Handmaid’s Tale” depicts life in a fictional future version of the U.S. where a Christian fundamentalist theocratic regime is in power. In the book and the Hulu TV show, handmaids are a class of women who bear children for women of higher class.
Pro-choice activists have dressed in “The Handmaid’s Tale” attire to protest legislation such as the “Heartbeat” law in Texas in the past.
Since a Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn abortion protections established by Roe v. Wade was leaked last week, pro-choice activists have again used symbolism from the show to protest conservative abortion laws. For example, people in “The Handmaid’s Tale” outfits protested outside the Massachusetts State House Saturday, according to WHDH News in Boston.
“Demonstrations had been anticipated across the country,” Diaz said. Regarding the incident in Los Angeles, she said it was “handled accordingly by cathedral security ensuring limited disruption of Mass.”
In a tweet last week, a group called “Ruth Sent Us” called on supporters to “stand up,” at local churches Sunday to recognize that “extremist Catholics set out to overturn Roe,” along with a video of protestors wearing “The Handmaid’s Tale” outfits in a church.
While Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts did confirm that the leaked opinion – written by Justice Samuel Alito in relation to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case concerning Mississippi abortion laws – was legitimate, it is not clear if it is the final version or when that final opinion will be announced. This week, the Senate is expected to vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify the right to an abortion into federal law.
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