ACLU: Why Sanctioning the ICC Would Be Terrible for Civil Liberties

Why Sanctioning the ICC Would Be Terrible for Civil Liberties

A bill that would have required the president to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) has failed in the Senate. It may return, or President Donald Trump may unilaterally impose sanctions on the ICC, as he did in his first administration. Either result would raise serious constitutional concerns and deal a grave blow to human rights accountability, including investigations the United States has supported.

The ICC is an independent court established to help maintain international peace and security. It investigates and prosecutes crimes of the severest magnitude, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, when domestic courts are unwilling or unable to do so. In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for senior officials of Israel, including its Prime Minister, and Hamas. In response, some members of Congress introduced the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” a bill instructing the president to sanction any “foreign person” who helps the ICC to “investigate, detain, or prosecute” citizens or lawful residents of the United States or certain allied nations. Under the bill, even providing “technological support” or “indirect” assistance to a targeted ICC investigation would be sanctionable.

As a U.S.-focused human rights and civil liberties organization, the ACLU takes no position on the ICC’s arrest warrants, but we are deeply concerned that the impact of sanctions would violate the Constitution and undermine the independence of the court.

The ICC reflects an international consensus dating back to the post-WWII Nuremberg Tribunal: the world needs an independent judicial body to prevent impunity for unconscionable crimes, protect the rights of victims, secure the due process rights of the accused, and ensure the sovereignty of individual nations. Today, the ICC’s work includes investigations of alleged mass atrocities committed in Ukraine, Venezuela, Sudan, and by the Taliban. Many allies of the United States have adopted legal obligations requiring them to cooperate with the ICC.

Sanctions are an extraordinarily powerful tool usually aimed at people who have committed serious crimes and groups that are a threat to U.S. national security. Their impact can be devastating. For example, people and entities sanctioned under the ICC bill would have their assets frozen, and they and their immediate family members would be barred from entering the United States, notwithstanding pre-existing visas. These measures would severely undermine all ICC operations, not only the ones the legislation claims to target.

Moreover, if the bill becomes law, U.S. citizens and residents could be prohibited from meaningfully participating in any of the ICC’s investigations and work. When someone is sanctioned, it is generally against the law for anyone—including people in the United States—to work with or for them. The penalties for doing so can be extremely harsh. Even accidentally violating a sanctions prohibition may be punished by hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

In other words, if the bill becomes law, people in the U.S. who’ve devoted their lives to seeking justice for the victims of atrocities could face stiff penalties simply for exercising their constitutional right to speak with the ICC, such as providing the ICC with legal advice, guidance, or research support across a range of its activities. The First Amendment does not allow the government to impose such sweeping limits on what Americans can say, and to whom they can say it.

In 2020, when President Trump imposed similar sanctions, the ACLU sued on behalf of human rights experts who were forced to stop working with the ICC. Our clients withdrew their lawsuit when President Joe Biden rescinded the sanctions, but a federal court in a separate suit agreed the sanctions likely violated the First Amendment.

The Senate was right to stop the bill this week. It should never come back. Legislators who disagree with the ICC must find a way of doing so that respects the Constitution and does not compromise the ability to bring the perpetrators of mass atrocities to justice.

Published January 30, 2025 at 04:55PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/YGoXBb2

ACLU: Why Sanctioning the ICC Would Be Terrible for Civil Liberties

Why Sanctioning the ICC Would Be Terrible for Civil Liberties

A bill that would have required the president to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) has failed in the Senate. It may return, or President Donald Trump may unilaterally impose sanctions on the ICC, as he did in his first administration. Either result would raise serious constitutional concerns and deal a grave blow to human rights accountability, including investigations the United States has supported.

The ICC is an independent court established to help maintain international peace and security. It investigates and prosecutes crimes of the severest magnitude, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, when domestic courts are unwilling or unable to do so. In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for senior officials of Israel, including its Prime Minister, and Hamas. In response, some members of Congress introduced the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” a bill instructing the president to sanction any “foreign person” who helps the ICC to “investigate, detain, or prosecute” citizens or lawful residents of the United States or certain allied nations. Under the bill, even providing “technological support” or “indirect” assistance to a targeted ICC investigation would be sanctionable.

As a U.S.-focused human rights and civil liberties organization, the ACLU takes no position on the ICC’s arrest warrants, but we are deeply concerned that the impact of sanctions would violate the Constitution and undermine the independence of the court.

The ICC reflects an international consensus dating back to the post-WWII Nuremberg Tribunal: the world needs an independent judicial body to prevent impunity for unconscionable crimes, protect the rights of victims, secure the due process rights of the accused, and ensure the sovereignty of individual nations. Today, the ICC’s work includes investigations of alleged mass atrocities committed in Ukraine, Venezuela, Sudan, and by the Taliban. Many allies of the United States have adopted legal obligations requiring them to cooperate with the ICC.

Sanctions are an extraordinarily powerful tool usually aimed at people who have committed serious crimes and groups that are a threat to U.S. national security. Their impact can be devastating. For example, people and entities sanctioned under the ICC bill would have their assets frozen, and they and their immediate family members would be barred from entering the United States, notwithstanding pre-existing visas. These measures would severely undermine all ICC operations, not only the ones the legislation claims to target.

Moreover, if the bill becomes law, U.S. citizens and residents could be prohibited from meaningfully participating in any of the ICC’s investigations and work. When someone is sanctioned, it is generally against the law for anyone—including people in the United States—to work with or for them. The penalties for doing so can be extremely harsh. Even accidentally violating a sanctions prohibition may be punished by hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

In other words, if the bill becomes law, people in the U.S. who’ve devoted their lives to seeking justice for the victims of atrocities could face stiff penalties simply for exercising their constitutional right to speak with the ICC, such as providing the ICC with legal advice, guidance, or research support across a range of its activities. The First Amendment does not allow the government to impose such sweeping limits on what Americans can say, and to whom they can say it.

In 2020, when President Trump imposed similar sanctions, the ACLU sued on behalf of human rights experts who were forced to stop working with the ICC. Our clients withdrew their lawsuit when President Joe Biden rescinded the sanctions, but a federal court in a separate suit agreed the sanctions likely violated the First Amendment.

The Senate was right to stop the bill this week. It should never come back. Legislators who disagree with the ICC must find a way of doing so that respects the Constitution and does not compromise the ability to bring the perpetrators of mass atrocities to justice.

Published January 30, 2025 at 10:25PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/AFCS1rc

ACLU: Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Birthright Citizenship?

Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Birthright Citizenship?

Hours into his presidency, Donald Trump issued an executive order that would rewrite the constitution and deny millions of people citizenship, putting them at risk of statelessness, deportation, and civil rights abuses. This order, which has been blocked by a federal judge for now, is an attack on a fundamental constitutional protection and contrary to the core constitutional principle of equality and inclusion.

How does the constitution protect birthright citizenship? What are the repercussions of President Trump’s actions?

Take our quick quiz below to learn more and see how much you know about birthright citizenship.

Click to see Quiz

Published January 29, 2025 at 07:46PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/TkRDngW

ACLU: Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Birthright Citizenship?

Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Birthright Citizenship?

Hours into his presidency, Donald Trump issued an executive order that would rewrite the constitution and deny millions of people citizenship, putting them at risk of statelessness, deportation, and civil rights abuses. This order, which has been blocked by a federal judge for now, is an attack on a fundamental constitutional protection and contrary to the core constitutional principle of equality and inclusion.

How does the constitution protect birthright citizenship? What are the repercussions of President Trump’s actions?

Take our quick quiz below to learn more and see how much you know about birthright citizenship.

Click to see Quiz

Published January 30, 2025 at 01:16AM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/qSx3e1V

ACLU: Trump’s Executive Orders Rolling Back DEI and Accessibility Efforts, Explained

Trump’s Executive Orders Rolling Back DEI and Accessibility Efforts, Explained

The Trump administration’s three executive orders targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives take a “shock and awe” approach that upends longstanding, bipartisan federal policy meant to open doors that had been unfairly closed. In his first few days, President Donald Trump is undertaking a deliberate effort to obfuscate and weaponize civil rights laws that address discrimination and ensure everyone has a fair chance to compete, whether it’s for a job, a promotion, or an education.

With these actions, the administration is not only undoing decades of federal anti-discrimination policy, spanning Democratic and Republican presidential administrations alike, but also marshalling federal enforcement agencies to bully both private and government entities into abandoning legal efforts to promote equity and remedy systemic discrimination. Trump’s executive orders undermine obligations dating back to the Johnson administration that firms doing business with the U.S. government and receiving billions in public dollars are held to the highest standards in remedying and preventing bias.

How Do These Orders Dismantle Decades of Federal Anti-Discrimination Policy?

For decades, federal policies have supported efforts to promote equal opportunity, enforced by administrations from both parties. These policies grew out of federal anti-discrimination laws passed during the 1960s civil rights struggle and have been expanded to guarantee that opportunity was not denied — as it had been for too long — because of one’s race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other legally protected characteristics.

Trump’s executive orders represent a major departure from these policies, particularly in the federal contracting space. One order rescinds Executive Order 11246, a cornerstone of equal opportunity policy for federal contractors that has been in place since 1965 under the Johnson administration, without offering any replacement framework. This abrupt shift abandons a measure that has helped dismantle entrenched race and sex segregation in high-paying industries historically closed to women and Black and Brown workers. It also leaves contractors scrambling to navigate a complex regulatory environment, including federal anti-discrimination laws like Title VII and other laws mandating federal contractors take affirmative action with respect to veterans and disabled workers — all of which remain in place.

How Will These Orders Target DEIA in the Workplace?

More broadly, the orders seek to intimidate all employers — ranging from private organizations and federal contractors and grantees to state and local entities — into abandoning DEIA initiatives, using vague and threatening language to create fear of enforcement actions. The strategy is clear: Bully everyone into dropping programs that ensure equitable workplaces by falsely equating diversity efforts with discrimination.

Yet, in employment for example, properly designed DEIA programs are not only legal under federal and state civil rights laws and longstanding legal precedents; they are also necessary to ensure compliance with those laws. Programs labeled as DEIA encompass a broad range of lawful initiatives that create fairer workplaces and ensure opportunities aren’t limited based on race, ethnicity, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Many of these initiatives are not focused on selecting specific candidates for hire — they aim to create fairer processes. For instance, recruiting at underrepresented institutions or ensuring fairness in promotion criteria helps address systemic inequities without disadvantaging any individual.

These programs are not discriminatory; they are essential to creating environments where everyone has a chance to succeed and addressing persistent barriers for individuals to advance in their careers. Employers must take a stand against this political intimidation and remain committed to opening doors to all candidates, especially those facing unfair headwinds. Legal advocacy groups and state attorneys general have urged compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws while advancing equity through measures that are neutral to race and other protected characteristics. Abandoning these programs risks perpetuating inequality, alienating diverse talent, and violating equal employment laws. Simply put, the federal government should not be intimidating and coercing employers into abandoning their commitment to equal opportunity in the workplace.

What About in Schools and Higher Education Institutions?

The executive orders also target DEIA and necessary practices in higher education institutions and schools. These actions mischaracterize lawful equity programs as discriminatory, aiming to chill efforts to promote equal access in education.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard left colleges and universities with several pathways to advance educational equity. The decision had no bearing on K-12 education, where schools must continue to identify and address barriers to equitable learning environments.

At a minimum, schools are required to comply with federal and state civil rights laws that ensure educational opportunities are provided on an equal basis. This means reviewing policies and practices to ensure they don’t unnecessarily limit opportunities based on race or other protected characteristics. Schools must also work to foster a climate where all students can access and thrive in their educational pursuits. Now, more than ever, educational institutions must resist intimidation and reaffirm their commitment to identifying and removing barriers to equal opportunity.

What Happens Next?

Programs labeled as DEIA encompass a broad range of lawful initiatives that create fairer workplaces and schools. The executive orders attempt to conflate these lawful efforts with discrimination, weaponizing enforcement to bully institutions into abandoning critical programs and taking steps to try to eliminate protections against discrimination by government contractors. However, no court has declared DEIA efforts inherently illegal, and President Trump cannot override decades of legal precedent.

Companies, schools, and institutions must resist the fear and confusion these executive orders are designed to create. Now is the time to double down on our commitment to equal opportunity, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background, has a fair chance to thrive. The ACLU continues to stand firm against these actions. DEIA expands opportunity in our nation by improving education, helping businesses grow, and giving all communities a chance to thrive and succeed.

Published January 25, 2025 at 04:43AM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/QilN0tu

ACLU: Trump’s Executive Orders Rolling Back DEI and Accessibility Efforts, Explained

Trump’s Executive Orders Rolling Back DEI and Accessibility Efforts, Explained

The Trump administration’s three executive orders targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives take a “shock and awe” approach that upends longstanding, bipartisan federal policy meant to open doors that had been unfairly closed. In his first few days, President Donald Trump is undertaking a deliberate effort to obfuscate and weaponize civil rights laws that address discrimination and ensure everyone has a fair chance to compete, whether it’s for a job, a promotion, or an education.

With these actions, the administration is not only undoing decades of federal anti-discrimination policy, spanning Democratic and Republican presidential administrations alike, but also marshalling federal enforcement agencies to bully both private and government entities into abandoning legal efforts to promote equity and remedy systemic discrimination. Trump’s executive orders undermine obligations dating back to the Johnson administration that firms doing business with the U.S. government and receiving billions in public dollars are held to the highest standards in remedying and preventing bias.

How Do These Orders Dismantle Decades of Federal Anti-Discrimination Policy?

For decades, federal policies have supported efforts to promote equal opportunity, enforced by administrations from both parties. These policies grew out of federal anti-discrimination laws passed during the 1960s civil rights struggle and have been expanded to guarantee that opportunity was not denied — as it had been for too long — because of one’s race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other legally protected characteristics.

Trump’s executive orders represent a major departure from these policies, particularly in the federal contracting space. One order rescinds Executive Order 11246, a cornerstone of equal opportunity policy for federal contractors that has been in place since 1965 under the Johnson administration, without offering any replacement framework. This abrupt shift abandons a measure that has helped dismantle entrenched race and sex segregation in high-paying industries historically closed to women and Black and Brown workers. It also leaves contractors scrambling to navigate a complex regulatory environment, including federal anti-discrimination laws like Title VII and other laws mandating federal contractors take affirmative action with respect to veterans and disabled workers — all of which remain in place.

How Will These Orders Target DEIA in the Workplace?

More broadly, the orders seek to intimidate all employers — ranging from private organizations and federal contractors and grantees to state and local entities — into abandoning DEIA initiatives, using vague and threatening language to create fear of enforcement actions. The strategy is clear: Bully everyone into dropping programs that ensure equitable workplaces by falsely equating diversity efforts with discrimination.

Yet, in employment for example, properly designed DEIA programs are not only legal under federal and state civil rights laws and longstanding legal precedents; they are also necessary to ensure compliance with those laws. Programs labeled as DEIA encompass a broad range of lawful initiatives that create fairer workplaces and ensure opportunities aren’t limited based on race, ethnicity, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Many of these initiatives are not focused on selecting specific candidates for hire — they aim to create fairer processes. For instance, recruiting at underrepresented institutions or ensuring fairness in promotion criteria helps address systemic inequities without disadvantaging any individual.

These programs are not discriminatory; they are essential to creating environments where everyone has a chance to succeed and addressing persistent barriers for individuals to advance in their careers. Employers must take a stand against this political intimidation and remain committed to opening doors to all candidates, especially those facing unfair headwinds. Legal advocacy groups and state attorneys general have urged compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws while advancing equity through measures that are neutral to race and other protected characteristics. Abandoning these programs risks perpetuating inequality, alienating diverse talent, and violating equal employment laws. Simply put, the federal government should not be intimidating and coercing employers into abandoning their commitment to equal opportunity in the workplace.

What About in Schools and Higher Education Institutions?

The executive orders also target DEIA and necessary practices in higher education institutions and schools. These actions mischaracterize lawful equity programs as discriminatory, aiming to chill efforts to promote equal access in education.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard left colleges and universities with several pathways to advance educational equity. The decision had no bearing on K-12 education, where schools must continue to identify and address barriers to equitable learning environments.

At a minimum, schools are required to comply with federal and state civil rights laws that ensure educational opportunities are provided on an equal basis. This means reviewing policies and practices to ensure they don’t unnecessarily limit opportunities based on race or other protected characteristics. Schools must also work to foster a climate where all students can access and thrive in their educational pursuits. Now, more than ever, educational institutions must resist intimidation and reaffirm their commitment to identifying and removing barriers to equal opportunity.

What Happens Next?

Programs labeled as DEIA encompass a broad range of lawful initiatives that create fairer workplaces and schools. The executive orders attempt to conflate these lawful efforts with discrimination, weaponizing enforcement to bully institutions into abandoning critical programs and taking steps to try to eliminate protections against discrimination by government contractors. However, no court has declared DEIA efforts inherently illegal, and President Trump cannot override decades of legal precedent.

Companies, schools, and institutions must resist the fear and confusion these executive orders are designed to create. Now is the time to double down on our commitment to equal opportunity, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background, has a fair chance to thrive. The ACLU continues to stand firm against these actions. DEIA expands opportunity in our nation by improving education, helping businesses grow, and giving all communities a chance to thrive and succeed.

Published January 24, 2025 at 11:13PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/AVfR4Yj

ACLU: The High Costs of Abortion Bans

The High Costs of Abortion Bans

To protect storytellers’ identities, some names have been changed.

Sixteen states currently have total abortion bans or ban abortion before most people recognize they’re pregnant. That’s more than a quarter of our country where individuals are denied the right to make decisions about their bodies.

At the ACLU, we know that abortion is health care. We stand with the people fighting to preserve, expand and restore our rights to this basic health care. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, voters have continued to turn out in favor of protecting abortion access. During the 2024 election, seven states, including several that supported Donald Trump, voted to secure abortion access. These wins indicate just how important reproductive freedom remains to people across the country — and across party lines.

Today, as President Trump once again returns to office, anti-abortion politicians are pushing him to ignore the will of the people and misuse the Comstock Act, an antiquated law from 1873, to attempt to ban abortion nationwide, even in states where it is protected today. These extremists also want to ban medication abortion and to prosecute people who help those who live in states with abortion bans find care. And soon we will learn whether the Trump Administration intends to disregard the longstanding protections of the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act — EMTALA — and allow anti-abortion state lawmakers to ban emergency, including life-saving, abortion care altogether.

The ACLU will not stop fighting for the ability of every individual to access abortion care, no matter where they live. Access to abortion is not just about politics. It’s about people. Ahead of the 2024 election, we spoke with three individuals impacted by abortion bans in Wisconsin, Alabama and Texas.

Alison Mollman was seven weeks pregnant when she started bleeding. Through tears, her OBGYN said that she was sorry there was nothing she could do. Mollman thought she meant she regretted not being able to save her pregnancy. It wasn’t until Mollman began to miscarry at home that she realised that her OBGYN meant that she was sorry she couldn’t offer Mollman abortion care, like medication abortion or a D&C, which would have made her miscarriage much faster and less painful.

“It was terrible,” Mollman, the legal director of the ACLU of Alabama, says. “I didn’t have any supportive care. I was told to just go to the emergency room if I started bleeding heavily. I was basically on my own.”

As part of a queer couple trying to become parents, Mollman anticipated trouble accessing fertility care in Alabama, which, in addition to banning abortion outright, passed a law declaring that embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) should be considered children. Several of the state’s IVF clinics paused services for fear of violating the law.

Mollman conceived through at-home insemination, but still faced discrimination in her efforts to receive medically-necessary care when two more of her pregnancies ended in miscarriage. At one point, despite being advised that she was likely miscarrying, an ultrasound tech said that there could be fetal cardiac activity that may be undetectable, which made her ineligible for a D&C. At another time, while in severe pain, she was forced to rely on over-the-counter painkillers.

“It was so hard on my body,” Mollman remembers. “I didn’t know if I could keep doing this.”

Complicating the issue in Alabama, Mollman points out, is the confusion. Doctors and patients, fearful of violating the state’s abortion ban, don’t know when they can or can’t provide care, especially abortion care, to people in crisis. “I don't blame my doctors – I know they don’t want their patients to suffer,” Mollman says. “I blame anti-abortion politicians.”

Mollman and her partner have decided to try to conceive again, despite knowing Mollman may once again be denied reproductive care. Mollman’s experiences continue to motivate her in her work to fight abortion restrictions. Right now, with the ACLU of Alabama, Mollman is taking the Alabama attorney general to court because he threatened to prosecute anyone who assists Alabamaians in traveling to another state to access legal abortion care. It’s a tough battle, Mollman says, but one she won’t stop fighting.

Jackie has spent nearly six years as a rape crisis and domestic violence counselor in Wisconsin. She’s assisted many people on the worst nights of their lives, helping them work through trauma and feel safe again. Shortly after Roe was overturned, Jackie was supporting a survivor when the question of Plan B came up. There was concern that Plan B might fail and she could become pregnant at the time when Wisconsin had recently banned abortion.

It was “really scary” to think about what might happen if Plan B didn’t work, Jackie recalls. “At that point, you could be assaulted, go to the hospital and have no options. You can’t get an abortion. There’s just nothing you could do,” she says.

The idea that survivors could be denied the right to make choices about their body is horrifying to Jackie, who is also a survivor of sexual assault. She recalls how having control returned to her and being able to stand up for her health was vital to her ability to heal. “It’s a violation,” Jackie says, “to force people to carry [their abuser’s child]. It’s traumatic. It’s heartbreaking.”

While abortion is now available in Wisconsin due to a court decision, the case is still working its way through the legal system and Wisconsinites could once again lose access to this necessary medical care. Jackie fears that, even if a future abortion ban made an exception for assault survivors, so many people would still be forced to carry pregnancies against their will because sexual assault remains underreported. Jackie is also concerned about the impact abortion bans could have on survivors of domestic violence. It’s a common tactic for abusers to coerce or force their victims to become pregnant. Without access to abortion care, many domestic violence victims must choose whether to stay with their abusers, or raise a child on their own.

Jackie remains hopeful that abortion care can be enshrined into the Constitution once again. Until that day, she hopes that everyone will disrupt the anti-abortion agenda as much as they can. “Call your lawmakers, stand outside their offices, yell at them. Talk to your friends and community about your views and experiences. Being a voice is so important,” she says.

Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi saw firsthand how the racial and structural barriers she’d faced growing up made it difficult for Black, brown and immigrant patients to access abortion are in Texas. She became an OBGYN to be an abortion provider and help these communities access the care they deserved. But, just three years after she finished her training, Texas banned abortion.

Moayedi now travels out-of-state to provide abortion care for people from states with bans. She also provides pre and post-abortion care in Texas for patients who receive abortions where care is legal. A big part of her work is not just providing hands-on care in an exam room, but navigating the policies of each region, educating other providers, and figuring out how to get her patients the care they need.

“It is my duty as a doctor to advocate and agitate. When Roe was overturned and it wasn’t clear if Texas law prevented abortion providers from caring for Texans out of state, I sued the state, which was a scary thing to do.”

“Abortion bans have caused so much anxiety and uncertainty, for both providers and patients. People of color, young people, people from rural areas and people with low socioeconomic status face barriers that add additional stress,” Moayedi says. “I’ve taught abortion care across Texas for many years, and my trainees are now vocally pro-abortion in a way that is refreshing. Abortion is an everyday part of life that is just completely normal.”

For more than 50 years, Roe v. Wade protected abortion access at the federal level. Extremist politicians have continuously attacked reproductive freedom and they will not stop until abortion is banned in all 50 states. Trump’s advisors want him to bend and break the law in order to carry out their own political agenda to deny people the fundamental right to make personal medical decisions. But during the campaign he promised not to further restrict access to abortion, and he needs to keep his word.

If Trump breaks his promises, the ACLU stands ready to hold him accountable. We’ll continue to fight abortion restrictions in court, including defending against misuse of the Comstock Act or attempts to ban mifepristone. We’ll also fight back against efforts in Congress to further restrict reproductive rights.

At the ACLU, we know how important this fight is for people across the country who deserve the right to make decisions about their bodies.

Published January 24, 2025 at 11:55PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/5qeZhOy

ACLU: The High Costs of Abortion Bans

The High Costs of Abortion Bans

To protect storytellers’ identities, some names have been changed.

Sixteen states currently have total abortion bans or ban abortion before most people recognize they’re pregnant. That’s more than a quarter of our country where individuals are denied the right to make decisions about their bodies.

At the ACLU, we know that abortion is health care. We stand with the people fighting to preserve, expand and restore our rights to this basic health care. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, voters have continued to turn out in favor of protecting abortion access. During the 2024 election, seven states, including several that supported Donald Trump, voted to secure abortion access. These wins indicate just how important reproductive freedom remains to people across the country — and across party lines.

Today, as President Trump once again returns to office, anti-abortion politicians are pushing him to ignore the will of the people and misuse the Comstock Act, an antiquated law from 1873, to attempt to ban abortion nationwide, even in states where it is protected today. These extremists also want to ban medication abortion and to prosecute people who help those who live in states with abortion bans find care. And soon we will learn whether the Trump Administration intends to disregard the longstanding protections of the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act — EMTALA — and allow anti-abortion state lawmakers to ban emergency, including life-saving, abortion care altogether.

The ACLU will not stop fighting for the ability of every individual to access abortion care, no matter where they live. Access to abortion is not just about politics. It’s about people. Ahead of the 2024 election, we spoke with three individuals impacted by abortion bans in Wisconsin, Alabama and Texas.

Alison Mollman was seven weeks pregnant when she started bleeding. Through tears, her OBGYN said that she was sorry there was nothing she could do. Mollman thought she meant she regretted not being able to save her pregnancy. It wasn’t until Mollman began to miscarry at home that she realised that her OBGYN meant that she was sorry she couldn’t offer Mollman abortion care, like medication abortion or a D&C, which would have made her miscarriage much faster and less painful.

“It was terrible,” Mollman, the legal director of the ACLU of Alabama, says. “I didn’t have any supportive care. I was told to just go to the emergency room if I started bleeding heavily. I was basically on my own.”

As part of a queer couple trying to become parents, Mollman anticipated trouble accessing fertility care in Alabama, which, in addition to banning abortion outright, passed a law declaring that embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) should be considered children. Several of the state’s IVF clinics paused services for fear of violating the law.

Mollman conceived through at-home insemination, but still faced discrimination in her efforts to receive medically-necessary care when two more of her pregnancies ended in miscarriage. At one point, despite being advised that she was likely miscarrying, an ultrasound tech said that there could be fetal cardiac activity that may be undetectable, which made her ineligible for a D&C. At another time, while in severe pain, she was forced to rely on over-the-counter painkillers.

“It was so hard on my body,” Mollman remembers. “I didn’t know if I could keep doing this.”

Complicating the issue in Alabama, Mollman points out, is the confusion. Doctors and patients, fearful of violating the state’s abortion ban, don’t know when they can or can’t provide care, especially abortion care, to people in crisis. “I don't blame my doctors – I know they don’t want their patients to suffer,” Mollman says. “I blame anti-abortion politicians.”

Mollman and her partner have decided to try to conceive again, despite knowing Mollman may once again be denied reproductive care. Mollman’s experiences continue to motivate her in her work to fight abortion restrictions. Right now, with the ACLU of Alabama, Mollman is taking the Alabama attorney general to court because he threatened to prosecute anyone who assists Alabamaians in traveling to another state to access legal abortion care. It’s a tough battle, Mollman says, but one she won’t stop fighting.

Jackie has spent nearly six years as a rape crisis and domestic violence counselor in Wisconsin. She’s assisted many people on the worst nights of their lives, helping them work through trauma and feel safe again. Shortly after Roe was overturned, Jackie was supporting a survivor when the question of Plan B came up. There was concern that Plan B might fail and she could become pregnant at the time when Wisconsin had recently banned abortion.

It was “really scary” to think about what might happen if Plan B didn’t work, Jackie recalls. “At that point, you could be assaulted, go to the hospital and have no options. You can’t get an abortion. There’s just nothing you could do,” she says.

The idea that survivors could be denied the right to make choices about their body is horrifying to Jackie, who is also a survivor of sexual assault. She recalls how having control returned to her and being able to stand up for her health was vital to her ability to heal. “It’s a violation,” Jackie says, “to force people to carry [their abuser’s child]. It’s traumatic. It’s heartbreaking.”

While abortion is now available in Wisconsin due to a court decision, the case is still working its way through the legal system and Wisconsinites could once again lose access to this necessary medical care. Jackie fears that, even if a future abortion ban made an exception for assault survivors, so many people would still be forced to carry pregnancies against their will because sexual assault remains underreported. Jackie is also concerned about the impact abortion bans could have on survivors of domestic violence. It’s a common tactic for abusers to coerce or force their victims to become pregnant. Without access to abortion care, many domestic violence victims must choose whether to stay with their abusers, or raise a child on their own.

Jackie remains hopeful that abortion care can be enshrined into the Constitution once again. Until that day, she hopes that everyone will disrupt the anti-abortion agenda as much as they can. “Call your lawmakers, stand outside their offices, yell at them. Talk to your friends and community about your views and experiences. Being a voice is so important,” she says.

Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi saw firsthand how the racial and structural barriers she’d faced growing up made it difficult for Black, brown and immigrant patients to access abortion are in Texas. She became an OBGYN to be an abortion provider and help these communities access the care they deserved. But, just three years after she finished her training, Texas banned abortion.

Moayedi now travels out-of-state to provide abortion care for people from states with bans. She also provides pre and post-abortion care in Texas for patients who receive abortions where care is legal. A big part of her work is not just providing hands-on care in an exam room, but navigating the policies of each region, educating other providers, and figuring out how to get her patients the care they need.

“It is my duty as a doctor to advocate and agitate. When Roe was overturned and it wasn’t clear if Texas law prevented abortion providers from caring for Texans out of state, I sued the state, which was a scary thing to do.”

“Abortion bans have caused so much anxiety and uncertainty, for both providers and patients. People of color, young people, people from rural areas and people with low socioeconomic status face barriers that add additional stress,” Moayedi says. “I’ve taught abortion care across Texas for many years, and my trainees are now vocally pro-abortion in a way that is refreshing. Abortion is an everyday part of life that is just completely normal.”

For more than 50 years, Roe v. Wade protected abortion access at the federal level. Extremist politicians have continuously attacked reproductive freedom and they will not stop until abortion is banned in all 50 states. Trump’s advisors want him to bend and break the law in order to carry out their own political agenda to deny people the fundamental right to make personal medical decisions. But during the campaign he promised not to further restrict access to abortion, and he needs to keep his word.

If Trump breaks his promises, the ACLU stands ready to hold him accountable. We’ll continue to fight abortion restrictions in court, including defending against misuse of the Comstock Act or attempts to ban mifepristone. We’ll also fight back against efforts in Congress to further restrict reproductive rights.

At the ACLU, we know how important this fight is for people across the country who deserve the right to make decisions about their bodies.

Published January 24, 2025 at 06:25PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/KI1JwGQ

ACLU: Trump's Executive Orders Promoting Sex Discrimination, Explained

Trump's Executive Orders Promoting Sex Discrimination, Explained

Donald Trump was re-elected president on a wave of attacks against women and transgender people. Anti-transgender politicians spent more than $215 million on ads scapegoating trans people and promoting a Project 2025 agenda that threatens to rollback reproductive freedom and punish people for departing from archaic gender roles. On his first day back in office, President Trump signed a far-reaching executive order requiring federal agencies to discriminate against transgender people by denying who they are and threatening the freedom of self-determination and self-expression for all.

In 2020, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County affirming that discrimination against someone because they are LGBTQ is sex discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, said: “it is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.” Trump also withdrew an executive order issued by former President Joe Biden directing federal agencies to enforce this court ruling as applied to all laws prohibiting sex discrimination.

We all deserve the freedom to be ourselves, including the right to determine what’s right for our bodies and lives. Trump’s sex discrimination mandate threatens to deny that freedom to transgender people across the country while forcing everyone else to sacrifice their own freedom and privacy, too.

What Does the Order Say?

Trump’s signed order states: “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.  These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.” The order defines terms like “man” and “woman” based on whether a person “at conception” belongs “to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell” or that “produces the small reproductive cell.”

Trump’s order then directs federal agencies to “enforce laws governing sex-based rights, protections, opportunities, and accommodations” using his cramped definitions, including designating sex on passports and other federal identification documents, or determining where transgender people are confined in federal custody. The order also includes a sweeping mandate to all agencies to “end the Federal funding of gender ideology.” Of course, the order does not explain what that means or how agencies would accomplish such a task.

For decades, feminist legal scholars and women’s rights advocates have opposed efforts to define gender based strictly on biology. Recent state laws that use these definitions to discriminate against transgender people have resulted in invasive and traumatizing efforts to determine who “counts” as a man or as a woman, targeting youth who are even suspected of being transgender because they do not conform to sex stereotypes. This order likewise ignores the existence of intersex people and others with variations in sex characteristics beyond the overly-simplistic definitions Trump endorsed.

What Does the Order Do?

Very few executive orders change policy immediately, and they cannot change laws passed by Congress or protections guaranteed by the Constitution. As of January 21, 2025 it is unclear how the Trump administration will enforce this order as applied to educational settings, health care access, housing, federally-funded programs, and many other areas where federal law or policy references “sex” or “gender.”

Some of the most immediate impacts will likely be felt by the more than 2,000 transgender people currently held in federal custody. The order specifically calls on the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ignore the guidelines of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) and enforce a blanket policy forcing transgender women into men’s prisons and detention centers against their will. This puts them at a severely heightened risk of sexual assault and abuse by other incarcerated persons and prison staff. The order also mandates that BOP withdraw critical health care from trans people in federal prison.

We also expect to see immediate impacts on access to updated sex designations on U.S. passports. Transgender people frequently update the sex designation on documents like birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and passports to reflect their gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned at birth. Requiring transgender peoples’ passports to show the sex they were assigned at birth effectively outs them as transgender whenever they have to present the document.

Soon after the order was issued, a Trump administration official told a reporter that the policy impacting gender markers on U.S. passports would not apply retroactively for current passport holders. Trump’s order will, however, prevent transgender and intersex people from obtaining new passports, visas, and trusted traveler documents that reflect who they are and how they are perceived in the world. Online forms and websites providing instructions for how to update your gender marker on federal travel documents have already been removed. As of January 21, 2025, we are awaiting further information about how precisely the new passport policy will be implemented. In the meantime, we know transgender people are fearful about whether they can safely travel.

What Happens Next?

We expect the order may be enforced in other contexts, such as in public schools and sex-separated spaces. It may also be used to limit workplace protections and to limit federally-funded programs that provide access for gender-affirming health care. If federal agencies and departments act to make those risks a reality, the ACLU and other LGBTQ rights organizations will fight them every step of the way.

If you have been impacted by this order, let us know.

Published January 23, 2025 at 01:58AM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/ziJ4gAN

ACLU: Trump's Executive Orders Promoting Sex Discrimination, Explained

Trump's Executive Orders Promoting Sex Discrimination, Explained

Donald Trump was re-elected president on a wave of attacks against women and transgender people. Anti-transgender politicians spent more than $215 million on ads scapegoating trans people and promoting a Project 2025 agenda that threatens to rollback reproductive freedom and punish people for departing from archaic gender roles. On his first day back in office, President Trump signed a far-reaching executive order requiring federal agencies to discriminate against transgender people by denying who they are and threatening the freedom of self-determination and self-expression for all.

In 2020, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County affirming that discrimination against someone because they are LGBTQ is sex discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, said: “it is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.” Trump also withdrew an executive order issued by former President Joe Biden directing federal agencies to enforce this court ruling as applied to all laws prohibiting sex discrimination.

We all deserve the freedom to be ourselves, including the right to determine what’s right for our bodies and lives. Trump’s sex discrimination mandate threatens to deny that freedom to transgender people across the country while forcing everyone else to sacrifice their own freedom and privacy, too.

What Does the Order Say?

Trump’s signed order states: “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.  These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.” The order defines terms like “man” and “woman” based on whether a person “at conception” belongs “to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell” or that “produces the small reproductive cell.”

Trump’s order then directs federal agencies to “enforce laws governing sex-based rights, protections, opportunities, and accommodations” using his cramped definitions, including designating sex on passports and other federal identification documents, or determining where transgender people are confined in federal custody. The order also includes a sweeping mandate to all agencies to “end the Federal funding of gender ideology.” Of course, the order does not explain what that means or how agencies would accomplish such a task.

For decades, feminist legal scholars and women’s rights advocates have opposed efforts to define gender based strictly on biology. Recent state laws that use these definitions to discriminate against transgender people have resulted in invasive and traumatizing efforts to determine who “counts” as a man or as a woman, targeting youth who are even suspected of being transgender because they do not conform to sex stereotypes. This order likewise ignores the existence of intersex people and others with variations in sex characteristics beyond the overly-simplistic definitions Trump endorsed.

What Does the Order Do?

Very few executive orders change policy immediately, and they cannot change laws passed by Congress or protections guaranteed by the Constitution. As of January 21, 2025 it is unclear how the Trump administration will enforce this order as applied to educational settings, health care access, housing, federally-funded programs, and many other areas where federal law or policy references “sex” or “gender.”

Some of the most immediate impacts will likely be felt by the more than 2,000 transgender people currently held in federal custody. The order specifically calls on the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ignore the guidelines of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) and enforce a blanket policy forcing transgender women into men’s prisons and detention centers against their will. This puts them at a severely heightened risk of sexual assault and abuse by other incarcerated persons and prison staff. The order also mandates that BOP withdraw critical health care from trans people in federal prison.

We also expect to see immediate impacts on access to updated sex designations on U.S. passports. Transgender people frequently update the sex designation on documents like birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and passports to reflect their gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned at birth. Requiring transgender peoples’ passports to show the sex they were assigned at birth effectively outs them as transgender whenever they have to present the document.

Soon after the order was issued, a Trump administration official told a reporter that the policy impacting gender markers on U.S. passports would not apply retroactively for current passport holders. Trump’s order will, however, prevent transgender and intersex people from obtaining new passports, visas, and trusted traveler documents that reflect who they are and how they are perceived in the world. Online forms and websites providing instructions for how to update your gender marker on federal travel documents have already been removed. As of January 21, 2025, we are awaiting further information about how precisely the new passport policy will be implemented. In the meantime, we know transgender people are fearful about whether they can safely travel.

What Happens Next?

We expect the order may be enforced in other contexts, such as in public schools and sex-separated spaces. It may also be used to limit workplace protections and to limit federally-funded programs that provide access for gender-affirming health care. If federal agencies and departments act to make those risks a reality, the ACLU and other LGBTQ rights organizations will fight them every step of the way.

If you have been impacted by this order, let us know.

Published January 22, 2025 at 08:28PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/cWFPzhd

ACLU: “Here’s to the Work Ahead.” How I’m Honoring the Legendary Cecile Richards

“Here’s to the Work Ahead.” How I’m Honoring the Legendary Cecile Richards

Today, as on many other days, I told myself, “Be more Cecile.” Cecile is Cecile Richards, the marvel of a human best known as the president of Planned Parenthood. Cecile died January 20th. She will always live in my heart as someone who showed me, and so many others, how to be fierce and loving and curious and to be all in on life.

Today, I join the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) community to mourn Cecile, a one-in-a-generation leader who forever altered the trajectory of women’s rights and reproductive freedom in this country. I pledge to honor Cecile by taking action, to do right by others, guided by the question, WWCD (What would Cecile do)?

I’ve known Cecile for years through our work in the abortion space and mutual friends. We’ve stood together in the press scrum on the steps of the Supreme Court and at rallies; we’ve enjoyed many a cheese and crackers plate on Amtrak journeys between New York and DC; and I’ve eaten many a bowl of her chili at pre-Thanksgiving parties with family and friends at her apartment.

Cecile’s accomplishments are legion. For more than a decade, she pioneered Planned Parenthood’s efforts to expand access to birth control and other reproductive care under the Affordable Care Act, to expand its reproductive care services, and to fight abortion restrictions and bans long before Roe v. Wade was overturned. She built Planned Parenthood into a political force, with the power to demand change on the national stage and in private meetings at the White House. Every politician knew who she was. Everyone in my not-too-political family also knew. Cecile understood that disruption — of the status quo, of the majority voice, of expectation — was how change is made, no matter how uncomfortable that may be. It’s so fitting that her book was called, “Make Trouble.”

After leading Planned Parenthood for more than a decade, Cecile continued advancing womens’ rights and gender justice when she co-founded Supermajority, a women’s political action group that seeks to train and mobilize women to be organizers, activists, and leaders. Even after she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a terminal brain cancer she described as treatable, but not curable, Cecile couldn’t stop. Last fall, she co-founded Abortion in America, an organization dedicated to uplifting the voices of those denied health care because of state abortion bans. As a friend observed, Cecile is like a racehorse, restless for the chance to run.

Cecile started her career in the labor movement, working as an organizer for service workers including garment workers, nursing home workers, and janitors. She later served as deputy chief of staff for former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She came from a distinguished background: She was the daughter of Ann Richards, the first woman governor of Texas, and David Richards, a civil rights lawyer. She learned early that a political life was a life of action and activism.

Cecile was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2011 and 2012. She was also awarded the Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty, the ACLU’s highest honor acknowledging individuals who have made lifetime contributions to the advancement of civil liberties. Just last year, President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the nation’s top civilian awards.

But it's not Cecile’s accomplishments that leave us so full of love and grief. It is Cecile the person. One night when I stopped by Cecile’s apartment, she stirred a sweet concoction she was making for her staff while asking about the ACLU’s next move in the abortion space. Another night, we met Italian tourists at one of her parties whom I swear she had met in line that day at a grocery store. Whenever Cecile traveled to the Planned Parenthood clinics, she would stop to connect with staff and patients. She brought people in.

When I saw Cecile during these last few months, she spoke not of the challenges of her illness, but of the stories she was hearing of women denied critical health care and of her grandson. Her question was always ‘what is necessary for change’ — a question rooted in the heart. That conviction and compassion made her fierce and loving. It meant she sat up straight and spoke with fire to defend Planned Parenthood in a notoriously hostile five hour Senate hearing a decade ago. It meant she kept organizing even as her health declined. It gave her the energy to travel the country to support change, and threaten to turn the political power of Planned Parenthood against those who stood in the way.

One of her traits I loved most was her gift as a communicator. Cecile could connect on a personal level with the president just as she could with a distraught 19-year-old denied health care. She spoke from her heart, with conviction, clear and plain. To her very core, Cecile was an organizer: of movements, friends, and family. She was curious and listened, concerned most about what people need as well as what brought them joy.

In a video tribute to Cecile, her husband Kirk and her children offered gorgeous insight into her. Her daughter, Lily, shared that when Cecile testified before Congress in that most hostile hearing, inside her binder packed with notes and data and charts was a picture of her three children when they were little. The lesson, Lily reflected, was “if you have a center, a touchstone, you can get through anything.”

I didn’t think there ever would be a force strong enough to stop Cecile. But now we have lost her.

To honor Cecile is to carry on her legacy. When the ACLU recently gave Cecile its Roger Baldwin award, our highest honor, Cecile ended her acceptance speech with the words, “Here’s to the work ahead.” To Cecile, thank you for showing us the way to be and here’s to the work ahead.

Published January 21, 2025 at 12:42AM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/Mal2veB

ACLU: “Here’s to the Work Ahead.” How I’m Honoring the Legendary Cecile Richards

“Here’s to the Work Ahead.” How I’m Honoring the Legendary Cecile Richards

Today, as on many other days, I told myself, “Be more Cecile.” Cecile is Cecile Richards, the marvel of a human best known as the president of Planned Parenthood. Cecile died January 20th. She will always live in my heart as someone who showed me, and so many others, how to be fierce and loving and curious and to be all in on life.

Today, I join the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) community to mourn Cecile, a one-in-a-generation leader who forever altered the trajectory of women’s rights and reproductive freedom in this country. I pledge to honor Cecile by taking action, to do right by others, guided by the question, WWCD (What would Cecile do)?

I’ve known Cecile for years through our work in the abortion space and mutual friends. We’ve stood together in the press scrum on the steps of the Supreme Court and at rallies; we’ve enjoyed many a cheese and crackers plate on Amtrak journeys between New York and DC; and I’ve eaten many a bowl of her chili at pre-Thanksgiving parties with family and friends at her apartment.

Cecile’s accomplishments are legion. For more than a decade, she pioneered Planned Parenthood’s efforts to expand access to birth control and other reproductive care under the Affordable Care Act, to expand its reproductive care services, and to fight abortion restrictions and bans long before Roe v. Wade was overturned. She built Planned Parenthood into a political force, with the power to demand change on the national stage and in private meetings at the White House. Every politician knew who she was. Everyone in my not-too-political family also knew. Cecile understood that disruption — of the status quo, of the majority voice, of expectation — was how change is made, no matter how uncomfortable that may be. It’s so fitting that her book was called, “Make Trouble.”

After leading Planned Parenthood for more than a decade, Cecile continued advancing womens’ rights and gender justice when she co-founded Supermajority, a women’s political action group that seeks to train and mobilize women to be organizers, activists, and leaders. Even after she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a terminal brain cancer she described as treatable, but not curable, Cecile couldn’t stop. Last fall, she co-founded Abortion in America, an organization dedicated to uplifting the voices of those denied health care because of state abortion bans. As a friend observed, Cecile is like a racehorse, restless for the chance to run.

Cecile started her career in the labor movement, working as an organizer for service workers including garment workers, nursing home workers, and janitors. She later served as deputy chief of staff for former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She came from a distinguished background: She was the daughter of Ann Richards, the first woman governor of Texas, and David Richards, a civil rights lawyer. She learned early that a political life was a life of action and activism.

Cecile was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2011 and 2012. She was also awarded the Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty, the ACLU’s highest honor acknowledging individuals who have made lifetime contributions to the advancement of civil liberties. Just last year, President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the nation’s top civilian awards.

But it's not Cecile’s accomplishments that leave us so full of love and grief. It is Cecile the person. One night when I stopped by Cecile’s apartment, she stirred a sweet concoction she was making for her staff while asking about the ACLU’s next move in the abortion space. Another night, we met Italian tourists at one of her parties whom I swear she had met in line that day at a grocery store. Whenever Cecile traveled to the Planned Parenthood clinics, she would stop to connect with staff and patients. She brought people in.

When I saw Cecile during these last few months, she spoke not of the challenges of her illness, but of the stories she was hearing of women denied critical health care and of her grandson. Her question was always ‘what is necessary for change’ — a question rooted in the heart. That conviction and compassion made her fierce and loving. It meant she sat up straight and spoke with fire to defend Planned Parenthood in a notoriously hostile five hour Senate hearing a decade ago. It meant she kept organizing even as her health declined. It gave her the energy to travel the country to support change, and threaten to turn the political power of Planned Parenthood against those who stood in the way.

One of her traits I loved most was her gift as a communicator. Cecile could connect on a personal level with the president just as she could with a distraught 19-year-old denied health care. She spoke from her heart, with conviction, clear and plain. To her very core, Cecile was an organizer: of movements, friends, and family. She was curious and listened, concerned most about what people need as well as what brought them joy.

In a video tribute to Cecile, her husband Kirk and her children offered gorgeous insight into her. Her daughter, Lily, shared that when Cecile testified before Congress in that most hostile hearing, inside her binder packed with notes and data and charts was a picture of her three children when they were little. The lesson, Lily reflected, was “if you have a center, a touchstone, you can get through anything.”

I didn’t think there ever would be a force strong enough to stop Cecile. But now we have lost her.

To honor Cecile is to carry on her legacy. When the ACLU recently gave Cecile its Roger Baldwin award, our highest honor, Cecile ended her acceptance speech with the words, “Here’s to the work ahead.” To Cecile, thank you for showing us the way to be and here’s to the work ahead.

Published January 20, 2025 at 07:12PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/4xRfbIE

ACLU: How to Take Action on Inauguration Day and Beyond

How to Take Action on Inauguration Day and Beyond

In a rare occurrence, this year Martin Luther King Jr. Day will coincide with the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The two federal holidays have only fallen on the same day once since former President Ronald Reagan made Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday in 1983.

At the ACLU, we’re using this rare Inauguration-MLK Day pairing to advocate for our civil rights and civil liberties. While we don’t endorse or oppose candidates for elected office, we recognize that Trump’s re-election will have immense implications for the future of our democratic norms, institutions, and processes.

Dr. King encouraged Americans to engage in nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice and oppression. In his honor, the ACLU has created a non-exhaustive guide for how to take action and join the effort to create a more perfect union. Read more below.

---

LEARN … about the issues, people, and policies shaping our lives.

Catch Up On Project 2025

Project 2025 is a federal policy agenda and a blueprint for a radical restructuring of the executive branch that threatens to strip away our vital civil rights and civil liberties. Published by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation and aligned with the Trump administration, its 900-page proposals would undercut decades of progress and Constitutional protections.

In 2024 we broke down the impact that Project 2025 will have on real people. From immigrant families torn apart, to the denial of vital reproductive healthcare, to censorship in our classrooms, Project 2025 promises vast and devastating ramifications. While Project 2025’s alarming vision threatens our fundamental liberties, the ACLU has a roadmap for how we’ll continue to fight for an America where we have the right to say what we want, to control our bodies, and participate freely in society. To join us in the fight, add your name to a growing movement of community members looking to fight back.

Read Up On Other Civil Liberties News

At the ACLU, we believe that knowledge is power. To help communities make informed decisions about our civil liberties and civil rights, our news blog offers perspective on current events, updates on our legal and advocacy work and real stories from the individuals and groups impacted by the fight for our rights.

In 2024, we explained what’s at stake in the Supreme Court case on gender-affirming care. We broke down what the Constitution says about birthright citizenship. We also explored why the government should not be allowed to childproof the internet and why banning TikTok is unconstitutional.

Our news page is updated regularly with the latest from the courts, Congress and our communities. Bookmark this page or sign-up for email updates to stay informed.

---

TRACK … the bills, state court cases and more that impact our rights.

Track Bills Across the Country

Bill tracking, or the monitoring of proposed laws that may expand or restrict our rights, empowers us to stay informed, take action, and intervene before bills become law. To follow bills, start by visiting your state legislature’s website, where most have searchable databases containing summaries of current legislation, bill sponsors, and voting history.

From Roe v. Wade and the Dobbs case, which overturned the right to an abortion; to Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws banning interracial marriage; and Obergefell v. Hodges, which recognized marriage equality across the country — many Supreme Court cases that address all of our civil rights come from laws that were passed in state legislatures.

At the ACLU, our 54 affiliate offices across the nation provide local connections to attorneys and advocates working on state-level civil rights issues impacting your community. Use our interactive map to find your affiliate, learn about local legislative action, and access resources to inform your advocacy. The ACLU action page is also updated regularly with petitions and volunteer opportunities to help you get involved in your state.

Track State Supreme Court Cases

State Supreme Courts are responsible for interpreting their own state’s constitution and laws, and serve as the highest authority in a state’s judicial system. This often means that state Supreme Courts have the power to provide broader protections for civil rights and civil liberties than the U.S. Supreme Court or federal law.

With federal courts growing increasingly hostile to civil liberties, state Supreme Courts have become a first line of defense for our freedoms. In 2023, the ACLU launched its State Supreme Court Initiative to advocate for improved access to these courts and their cases.

To learn more about your state Supreme Court, find your court on our interactive map and read reports on key state court cases across the country.

---

ORGANIZE … to protect our most fundamental rights.

Lead or Attend a Protest

The First Amendment protects your right to assemble and express your views through protest. However, police and other government officials are allowed to place certain narrow restrictions on the exercise of speech rights. Want to know what actions are protected? The ACLU’s Know Your Rights (KYR) guide empowers all individuals with clear, practical information about their constitutional and civil rights.

Before you hit the streets, read our guide and then test your civil liberties knowledge with the ACLU’s Know Your Rights quiz. If your rights have been violated, you can take action by finding your local ACLU affiliate and filling out their online form to report any civil liberties violations.

Engage Your Community

The ACLU's "How to Organize" resource offers ideas to help you engage and organize your community. Whether it's starting a group, joining existing coalitions, leading a protest, or activating a PTA, there are many ways you can take the first step to fight back.

No matter who is president, the ACLU’s advocacy and organizing teams are working to build a firewall for freedom – a barrier that stops the spread of constant attacks on our civil rights – in our communities. Want to join the ACLU in protecting our freedoms? Our volunteer teams are dedicated to mobilizing communities across the country in defense of civil liberties. Sign up now to receive immediate steps to begin taking action.

---

TALK and WRITE … about the issues that matter

Start a Conversation

At the ACLU, we believe speaking up is key to a strong democracy. By using our voices, we can hold leaders accountable and ensure that everyone’s rights and liberties are protected. Curious about how to discuss issues like abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, free speech, immigrants’ rights, and more? The ACLU has suggestions for how to open dialogues in your community.

Do you want to know what speech is protected by the First Amendment? Check out our three-part “Ask an Expert” podcast series where Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, answers questions about the First Amendment, its protections, and its importance.

Write Your Elected Officials

Elected officials are meant to represent the people they serve, and it’s essential that we make sure they hear our voices. Writing to your legislators is one of the most powerful ways to exercise your rights and influence policy. Whether you’re drafting a letter or posting a message online, contacting your elected officials is a protected expression of free speech that plays a vital role in influencing decisions that shape our civil rights and liberties.

Effective advocacy starts with clear, concise communication. Take a look at the ACLU’s writing tips guide to make sure you’re equipped with strategies for crafting effective and impactful messages.

---

Whether you choose to take action using the resources shared here, or in other ways – like donating to causes you care about, expressing yourself creatively, seeking out wellness resources, or coming together with loved ones – there is no right or wrong way to fight for our rights, our communities and our nation.

At the ACLU, we’d love to see how you’re getting involved. Take a photo or video of what taking action looks like for you, share it on your social media page and tag the ACLU (@aclu_nationwide) on Instagram, or @aclu on X, Facebook and TikTok.

Published January 17, 2025 at 10:14PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/JLuA2Qd

ACLU: How to Take Action on Inauguration Day and Beyond

How to Take Action on Inauguration Day and Beyond

In a rare occurrence, this year Martin Luther King Jr. Day will coincide with the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The two federal holidays have only fallen on the same day once since former President Ronald Reagan made Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday in 1983.

At the ACLU, we’re using this rare Inauguration-MLK Day pairing to advocate for our civil rights and civil liberties. While we don’t endorse or oppose candidates for elected office, we recognize that Trump’s re-election will have immense implications for the future of our democratic norms, institutions, and processes.

Dr. King encouraged Americans to engage in nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice and oppression. In his honor, the ACLU has created a non-exhaustive guide for how to take action and join the effort to create a more perfect union. Read more below.

---

LEARN … about the issues, people, and policies shaping our lives.

Catch Up On Project 2025

Project 2025 is a federal policy agenda and a blueprint for a radical restructuring of the executive branch that threatens to strip away our vital civil rights and civil liberties. Published by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation and aligned with the Trump administration, its 900-page proposals would undercut decades of progress and Constitutional protections.

In 2024 we broke down the impact that Project 2025 will have on real people. From immigrant families torn apart, to the denial of vital reproductive healthcare, to censorship in our classrooms, Project 2025 promises vast and devastating ramifications. While Project 2025’s alarming vision threatens our fundamental liberties, the ACLU has a roadmap for how we’ll continue to fight for an America where we have the right to say what we want, to control our bodies, and participate freely in society. To join us in the fight, add your name to a growing movement of community members looking to fight back.

Read Up On Other Civil Liberties News

At the ACLU, we believe that knowledge is power. To help communities make informed decisions about our civil liberties and civil rights, our news blog offers perspective on current events, updates on our legal and advocacy work and real stories from the individuals and groups impacted by the fight for our rights.

In 2024, we explained what’s at stake in the Supreme Court case on gender-affirming care. We broke down what the Constitution says about birthright citizenship. We also explored why the government should not be allowed to childproof the internet and why banning TikTok is unconstitutional.

Our news page is updated regularly with the latest from the courts, Congress and our communities. Bookmark this page or sign-up for email updates to stay informed.

---

TRACK … the bills, state court cases and more that impact our rights.

Track Bills Across the Country

Bill tracking, or the monitoring of proposed laws that may expand or restrict our rights, empowers us to stay informed, take action, and intervene before bills become law. To follow bills, start by visiting your state legislature’s website, where most have searchable databases containing summaries of current legislation, bill sponsors, and voting history.

From Roe v. Wade and the Dobbs case, which overturned the right to an abortion; to Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws banning interracial marriage; and Obergefell v. Hodges, which recognized marriage equality across the country — many Supreme Court cases that address all of our civil rights come from laws that were passed in state legislatures.

At the ACLU, our 54 affiliate offices across the nation provide local connections to attorneys and advocates working on state-level civil rights issues impacting your community. Use our interactive map to find your affiliate, learn about local legislative action, and access resources to inform your advocacy. The ACLU action page is also updated regularly with petitions and volunteer opportunities to help you get involved in your state.

Track State Supreme Court Cases

State Supreme Courts are responsible for interpreting their own state’s constitution and laws, and serve as the highest authority in a state’s judicial system. This often means that state Supreme Courts have the power to provide broader protections for civil rights and civil liberties than the U.S. Supreme Court or federal law.

With federal courts growing increasingly hostile to civil liberties, state Supreme Courts have become a first line of defense for our freedoms. In 2023, the ACLU launched its State Supreme Court Initiative to advocate for improved access to these courts and their cases.

To learn more about your state Supreme Court, find your court on our interactive map and read reports on key state court cases across the country.

---

ORGANIZE … to protect our most fundamental rights.

Lead or Attend a Protest

The First Amendment protects your right to assemble and express your views through protest. However, police and other government officials are allowed to place certain narrow restrictions on the exercise of speech rights. Want to know what actions are protected? The ACLU’s Know Your Rights (KYR) guide empowers all individuals with clear, practical information about their constitutional and civil rights.

Before you hit the streets, read our guide and then test your civil liberties knowledge with the ACLU’s Know Your Rights quiz. If your rights have been violated, you can take action by finding your local ACLU affiliate and filling out their online form to report any civil liberties violations.

Engage Your Community

The ACLU's "How to Organize" resource offers ideas to help you engage and organize your community. Whether it's starting a group, joining existing coalitions, leading a protest, or activating a PTA, there are many ways you can take the first step to fight back.

No matter who is president, the ACLU’s advocacy and organizing teams are working to build a firewall for freedom – a barrier that stops the spread of constant attacks on our civil rights – in our communities. Want to join the ACLU in protecting our freedoms? Our volunteer teams are dedicated to mobilizing communities across the country in defense of civil liberties. Sign up now to receive immediate steps to begin taking action.

---

TALK and WRITE … about the issues that matter

Start a Conversation

At the ACLU, we believe speaking up is key to a strong democracy. By using our voices, we can hold leaders accountable and ensure that everyone’s rights and liberties are protected. Curious about how to discuss issues like abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, free speech, immigrants’ rights, and more? The ACLU has suggestions for how to open dialogues in your community.

Do you want to know what speech is protected by the First Amendment? Check out our three-part “Ask an Expert” podcast series where Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, answers questions about the First Amendment, its protections, and its importance.

Write Your Elected Officials

Elected officials are meant to represent the people they serve, and it’s essential that we make sure they hear our voices. Writing to your legislators is one of the most powerful ways to exercise your rights and influence policy. Whether you’re drafting a letter or posting a message online, contacting your elected officials is a protected expression of free speech that plays a vital role in influencing decisions that shape our civil rights and liberties.

Effective advocacy starts with clear, concise communication. Take a look at the ACLU’s writing tips guide to make sure you’re equipped with strategies for crafting effective and impactful messages.

---

Whether you choose to take action using the resources shared here, or in other ways – like donating to causes you care about, expressing yourself creatively, seeking out wellness resources, or coming together with loved ones – there is no right or wrong way to fight for our rights, our communities and our nation.

At the ACLU, we’d love to see how you’re getting involved. Take a photo or video of what taking action looks like for you, share it on your social media page and tag the ACLU (@aclu_nationwide) on Instagram, or @aclu on X, Facebook and TikTok.

Published January 17, 2025 at 04:44PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/JEgVC8Q