News & Commentary

This past Saturday, I attended the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Call to Action Panel in Brewer with 28 other women representing organizations from all across Maine. I was welcomed by an enthusiastic group of women of all ages, from Maine’s legislature, University of Maine Women’s Resource Center, Maine NEW Leadership, Business and Professional Women/ME, Maine, Maine Women’s Hall of Fame, and other organizations, gathered together to discuss the current state of the ERA and to move forward with strategy ideas. Many of the women in the room had fought hard for the ERA in the 1970s, and expressed their willingness to take up the issue again. 

A very happy 35th birthday to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The PDA amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions. It marked an enormously important step forward in the fight against discrimination in the workplace, but the work still goes on.

Each Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.

Each Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.

This just in from the rage-inducing stories department: a judge in Nebraska is forcing a 16-year-old girl to give birth against her will.

Thursday morning, Chelsea Manning came out as a transgender woman. Following her announcement, a military spokesman stated that the Army will not provide gender affirming healthcare for Ms. Manning, which raises significant constitutional concerns. The national ACLU writes:

We went into the 126th Legislature with a plan: to bring Maine's privacy laws up to speed with advancing technology. To that end, we proposed a 5-bill privacy package with bipartisan sponsorship. And while it was an uphill battle the whole way, we were successful in winning privacy protections and standing up for the 4th Amendment! 

There are not many other issues that raise the hackles of perfectly polite, open-minded Americans like the ongoing debate on Abortion Access in the United States. It seems as though it has become a discussion centralized on morals, religious practices and the polarized mentalities of the different regions of this nation. But what we polite, open-minded folk often forget is that the core of this dispute, as it pertains to the national stage, is really about freedom. It is not necessary (nor even remotely possible) for every member of the Senate or the House to personally agree with abortion. But what is absolutely dire is that our nation's government recalls and acts according to its fundamental oath to protect the 'life and liberty' of its citizens.

If you logged onto the ACLU of Maine Facebook page today, you were greeted with a new timeline photo: