News & Commentary

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013, Marlise Munoz suffered a pulmonary embolism that left her unconscious. She collapsed on the living room floor and was found by her husband Erick Munoz around 2am. When emergency vehicles transported Marlise to John Peter Smith hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, doctors found that she had sustained massive brain swelling. That was over four weeks ago. Marlise has yet to gain consciousness; her bodily functions are being sustained by life support. Erick would very much like to take his wife off of life support and allow her to die peacefully. This, he says, would be her wish. Erick and his wife, both paramedics, had spent a lot of time talking about end-of-life decisions. According to Erick, Marlise never wanted to be kept alive by the aid of machines. Erick would like to honor her wishes. The decision is agonizing for him, but he knows that she wouldn’t want to exist this way – “simply a shell,” hooked up to machines to keep her body alive. Unfortunately, although Erick and Marlise spent time talking about end-of-life choices, neither of them had actually signed a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) form. While the lack of DNR form is unfortunate, it is ultimately irrelevant due to one important detail: Marlise was 14 weeks pregnant when she was connected to life support.

Two months ago, Federal Judge John Gleeson of the Eastern District of New York issued a powerful “statement of reason” in the case of the United States v. Lulzim Kupa, in which he asserted that mandatory minimum sentences in drug cases have essentially nullified our constitutional right to a trial.   

It’s time to usher in 2014, and that means a look back at some of our favorite moments of 2013. In no particular order, here are our top civil liberties moments from around the state:

This article first appeared in our Winter 2013 newsletter. We are running it here to celebrate one year since marriage equality became the law in Maine, and to celebrate the first anniversary of the first couples to get married under the new law as well as all those who have married since. Happy anniversary!

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.

Hello readers! As the new Reproductive Freedom Organizer at the ACLU of Maine, I am excited to begin working to ensure that all Maine women are able to maintain control over their reproductive rights and choices.

Watch the brand-new video and take action here.

This week the Executive Director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Sue Roche and visiting professor at the University of Maine School of Law, Anna Welch co-authored an excellent op-ed in the Portland Press Herald about Maine’s need for a comprehensive federal immigration reform bill.