News & Commentary

The following statement can be attributed to Alison Beyea, executive director of the ACLU of Maine:

The journal Women and Health just published a special issue on abortion stigma research. Abortion stigma has been under reasearched in the academic world. This issue, Bringing Abortion Stigma Into Focus, is groundbreaking. The stigma associated with abortion is based on a belief that abortion is socially or morally wrong. Culturally, the stigma manifests as silence and shame. As a result of the stigma, people are reluctant to speak openly about abortion and are even more reluctant to share their abortion stories. In the media, abortion stigma manifests as either silence, or myths and mischaracterizations about abortions and the women who have them. In medical and research fields, abortion stigma is reflected in the marginalization of the procedure within health care facilities and the dearth of scholarly research dedicated to abortion stigma. 

Yesterday we held one of our three annual student conferences. One of the workshop sessions we offered was titled “Privacy and New Technology: Can the Government Track Your Phone?” The lesson is structured around a mock legislative hearing with students acting as lawmakers and debating a bill requiring police to obtain a warrant before obtaining information from a cellphone. (Thanks to the efforts of our legislative team, the bill they were debating is actually the law of the land in Maine, unlike in most states.)

Last week, the public radio show “This American Life” dedicated an entire show to the connection between school discipline policies and involvement in our criminal justice system, a phenomenon known as the school-to-prison-pipeline.  

This election season, three states are going to see anti-abortion amendments on their ballots. Voters in Colorado and North Dakota will be voting on personhood measures. Voters in Tennessee will be voting on an amendment that will make it easier for the legislature to pass anti-abortion bills. 

With exactly two weeks left until November 4, we are in the final crunch of election season. Political signs line our streets and television and radio ads for candidates play on repeat. While at times overwhelming, it is an exciting opportunity for us to learn about the different issues and candidates on the ballot. After reflecting on the issues that are most important to us this year, attempting to sift through the vast amount of information available and perhaps even watching a debate or two, we then have the opportunity to cast our vote, helping to shape what policy will be made and who will be making it during the upcoming legislative session.

If you haven't yet, check out our new video and resource page on Maine's anti-bullying law. October is National Bullying Prevention Month and we want to make sure that every student in Maine knows that they have rights when it comes to bullying at school.

The Nation columnist Katha Pollitt just released her new book, Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights. In the book, Pollitt attempts to tell some truths about abortion. She opens the book by addressing how common and widespread abortion has been:

Last week, Michael Botticelli, acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, made the exciting announcement that Maine would be receiving $7.5 million dollars to fight substance abuse through community education and treatment programs. In our letter to the editor in the Bangor Daily News today, we commend this approach.