News & Commentary

It’s been nearly a year since Edward Snowden first began revealing just how abusive the government’s surveillance programs really are. Back then, Snowden was asked what his greatest fear was. While acknowledging obvious concerns for his own safety, he ultimately gave a much nobler answer: that “nothing will change.”

I meet with Ruth Lockhart at Bard Coffee to discuss her work in partnership with the ACLU of Maine, and to attempt to (impossibly) capture her lifelong commitment to reproductive rights in a single blog post.

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

On Monday, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rep. Nita Lowey (NY-17) reintroduced the Peace Corps Equity Act in the Senate and the House. The late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) originally introduced the bill in April 2013. The bill seeks to expand abortion access to individuals volunteering in the Peace Corp who, as of right now, are denied abortion coverage – even in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the pregnant individual is endangered.  The lack of equity in the current policy is clear. This total abortion ban is more stringent than the policies covering all other federal workers. While the Hyde Amendment prohibits the federal government from providing insurance coverage for abortion services, it does provide exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and life endangerment. Peace Corps workers are governed by this same policy, but Peace Corps volunteers must find a way to fund their own procedures in these cases.

Last Tuesday, we all heard the tragic news of the botched execution of Clayton Lockett, an Oklahoma man sentenced to death for the murder of a woman in 1999. Thirteen minutes after the medical technician had injected the sedative and three minutes after the two lethal drugs had been administered, Mr. Lockett’s body twitched, his foot shook and he mumbled. A few minutes later he lifted his head and shoulders off the gurney. At 6:39, sixteen minutes after the execution had started, Oklahoma Department of Correction’s Director Robert Patton halted the execution. At 7:06, Mr. Lockett died of a massive heart attack.

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

The ACLU of Maine was honored to present its annual Justice Louis Scolnik Award to Jack Simmons of Falmouth at a dinner in Freeport on May 1.

Until recently, when you Googled “abortion clinics,” there was a high likelihood that ads for so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) would appear among the search results. According to research conducted by NARAL Pro-Choice America, ads for CPCs appeared 79% of the time when using Google to find abortion clinics. CPCs use lies and manipulation to discourage individuals from seeking an abortion. Contrary to what their ads imply, CPCs do not offer abortion services and counseling. When you call the center, you may be told that abortion is physically and psychologically damaging. You may also be told that birth control pills cause abortions, and that abortions cause breast cancer. None of this is truthful information. The deception begins even before you call. CPCs use ambiguous ads that prey upon the fear and concern someone facing an unwanted pregnancy might feel. Here are some examples of CPC ads.

Last week, the Department of Justice announced it will be expanding the criteria used to decide which drug offenders are eligible for presidential clemency. This is likely to affect thousands of federal inmates currently incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses.