News & Commentary

Yesterday, the House voted to pass H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. On it’s surface, the bill seems like a simple redundancy. The Hyde Amendment makes it illegal to use federal funds for abortion care. This restriction has been solidly in place for over 35 years. There’s been no budging on the Hyde Amendment. In fact, legislative measures are frequently introduced and passed to ensure that the Hyde Amendment can’t be circumvented. This particular Act would make permanent the federal funding restrictions put into place by the Hyde Amendment.

On January 21st, the ACLU of Maine, the Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, the Maine Council of Churches and the Portland Branch of the NAACP submitted a letter to the Maine Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee requesting an OPEGA (Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability) Review of health care in Maine state correctional facilities. Read the press release here.

Here in Maine, any loving couple that wants to get married can do so. But in most states around the country, that’s still not the case. The ACLU wants to highlight this unfair patchwork of state marriage laws, and so we’re doing the most fitting thing: we’re throwing some big, gay (il)legal weddings!

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

Today, January 22nd, marks the 41st anniversary of the monumental Roe v. Wade decision. The landmark 1973 decision set in stone one of the fundamental principles of our democracy: the right to protection from governmental intrusion into our “zone of privacy.” The decision granted women greater agency in their reproductive lives and affirmed the fact that women are capable enough to determine what types of reproductive health services they utilize. The Roe v. Wade decision recognized that every women's circumstances are unique and that every woman facing an unintended pregnancy needs the opportunity to make the best decision for her circumstances. 

On Monday morning, the ACLU of Maine was fortunate to attend the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast, hosted by the NAACP Portland Branch.  It was a inspiring event, honoring the legacy of Dr. King. The keynote speaker was former Secretary of Defense, U.S Representative and U.S Senator, William Cohen of Maine.  In his address, Cohen reflected on racial inequality in the United States today.  Citing severe disparities in poverty, access to health care and incarceration rates, Cohen asserted that we have yet to achieve the vision of Dr. King.

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

Reports suggest that President Obama has no intention of making substantive changes to entrenched spying programs and will instead call on Congress to decide the way forward.  Given a recent poll indicating clear support for reigning in these programs, it appears to be another opportunity lost for Obama to live up to his bold words from 2007.

Today, the Supreme Court heard one hour of oral arguments in McCullen v. Coakley, the Massachusetts case that takes up the issue of abortion clinic buffer zones and free speech. While no decision has been reached in the case, the majority of the justices seem to lean against the buffer zone, characterizing the law as an unfair and excessive infringement on First Amendment rights. Some Justices opposed the buffer zone outright, suggesting that the current law is a one-sided restriction against anti-abortion speech. Other Justices were more ambiguous in their statements, suggesting that a buffer zone might be necessary, but a 35-foot buffer zone was excessive. If you’d like to read a summary of the Justices' responses to the arguments, you can read a recap on the SCOTUSblog.