Three abortion activists strip to underwear in protest during Joel Osteen church service
Three abortion activists stripped down to their underwear in protest to interrupt a Sunday service at pastor Joel Osteen's Texas megachurch.
After Osteen had finished leading a prayer and congregants began to sit down, the women stood up and began chanting, "my body, my (expletive choice)." Two of the women removed their dresses, with one shouting, "Overturn Roe, hell no!"
The video footage of the protest quickly went viral over Twitter and the 11 a.m. service's live stream has since been taken down.
The activists, a trio from Texas Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights, were wearing white sports bras with green hand prints on them to symbolize the color representing the pro-choice movement. Security promptly escorted the three women out of the church as many congregants began to cheer at their dismissal.
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The women said they opted to protest in Osteen's megachurch, which draws upwards of 50,000 people regularly, arguing that anti-abortion protesters show up in their safe spaces – doctors' offices and clinics – to make them feel uncomfortable.
"I know it seems very outrageous to do it in a church in a private space," activist Julianne D'Eredita told local Houston television station KPRC 2 of the protest, which continued outside the Lakewood Church afterwards. "However, the people who are enforcing these laws have no qualms coming up to women in private spaces such as doctors' offices and medical clinics to harass them and call them murderers.
"Joel Osteen has an international audience and silence is violence when it comes to things like these. We have a very unprecedented and very short amount of time to garner the attention that we need to get millions of people on the streets, millions of people doing actions like we were today."
The protests come in light of a leaked draft from the Supreme Court opining to overthrow Roe v. Wade, a ruling that would rescind the federal law protecting abortion rights and instead allowing states to set their own laws.
Lakewood Church did not immediately respond to a Tuesday morning request from USA TODAY for comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Abortion activists strip to underwear in Joel Osteen church service
Emma Colton
Mon, June 6, 2022
Abortion activists interrupted Pastor Joel Osteen’s church service on Sunday in Houston, Texas, by taking off their clothes and shouting "my body, my choice!"
"My body, my f—ing choice," one activist with Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights is heard shouting in the church as she took off her dress, leaving her wearing only underwear, according to a video posted to social media on Sunday.
"Overturn Roe, hell no," another activist screams as she removes her clothing. A total of three women took part in the protest by stripping down to their underwear on Sunday in the church and shouting, according to Chron.
The women were escorted out of the church, allowing Osteen to continue preaching, which garnered cheers and applause from churchgoers.
Joel Osteen, the pastor of Lakewood Church, stands with his wife, Victoria Osteen, as he conducts a service at his church as the city starts the process of rebuilding after severe flooding during Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Getty Images
Outside, however, the activists continued their protest and were joined by other supporters, according to the outlet.
The activists are part of Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights, which has condemned the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe. v. Wade following a leaked draft decision last month.
"I know it seems very outrageous to do it in a church in a private space," activist Julianne D'Eredita told KPRC 2 of the protest. "However, the people that are enforcing these laws have no qualms coming up to women in private spaces such as doctors' offices and medical clinics to harass them and call them murderers."
The video of the disruption has since gained thousands of views. A representative for Osteen’s Lakewood Church did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
A long line of cars wait to get into the Lakewood church which was designated as a shelter for Hurricane Harvey victims in Houston, Texas August 29, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking REUTERS/Rick Wilking
"Joel Osteen has an international audience and silence is violence when it comes to things like these," D'Eredita added. "We have a very unprecedented and very short amount of time to garner the attention that we need to get millions of people on the streets, millions of people doing actions like we were today."
The Supreme Court released a series of decisions on Monday morning but did not issue a ruling in the case that could overturn Roe.
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