News & Commentary

ACLU at the Michigan Capitol – February 8, 2016

Today marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade—the landmark Supreme Court decision that guarantees all women a constitutional right to an abortion in the United States. Yet for many reproductive rights advocates, Roe day has become a day of concern, not celebration.

On Thursday, Dec.3, the first of three victims of the shooting rampage at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs was laid to rest. While our thoughts and prayers were with the victims who were killed or injured, the Senate leadership was doubling down on its intent to divest millions of Americans access to necessary healthcare by defunding Planned Parenthood.

ACLU at the Michigan Capitol – November 16, 2015

In the past, when we talked about “reproductive rights” being under attack, one could reasonably infer that abortion rights were being undermined. These days, that inference has to be broadened to include everything from access to birth control to access to proper medical care during a pregnancy. That is why we now use the broader reference to “women’s rights” being under attack because, let’s face it, only women have to bear the brunt lawmakers’ obsession with politicizing pregnancy and child birth.

As debate over "religious freedom restoration acts," or RFRAs, heat up around the country and here in Michigan, the threat of religion being used to discriminate grows exponentially. And not only would businesses, nonprofit groups and individuals be empowered to legally discriminate in the name of their faiths, as we've previously warned. That discrimination could come at the expense of the common good. Here's how....

Ever wonder who’s behind the work here at the ACLU of Michigan? In our new blog series Five Questions, ACLU of Michigan staff will talk about the incredible day-to-day work defending civil liberties. We'll be asking our fellows to speak about their experiences in the office as well as the passions that drove them to engage in the social-justice work in which they are currently engaged. Today we're sitting down with Legal Fellow Linda Jordan.  What is being a legal fellow at the ACLU of Michigan like? As a legal fellow at the ACLU of Michigan, I assist staff attorneys on a variety of legal projects. These include drafting memoranda addressing the merits of potential cases and constitutional theories, investigating civil rights violations, interviewing potential plaintiffs and drafting complaints and briefs. What brought you to the ACLU of Michigan? As a native Michigander, I have always been invested in the affairs of our state. After graduating from Fordham Law School last May, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in public interest law, and I couldn’t think of better place to start than in Detroit. I was interested in a variety of civil rights and social justice issues, and I deeply admired the breadth of the ACLU of Michigan’s work. How has your work here shaped your interest in public interest law? There is tremendous value in working at an ACLU affiliate like the ACLU of Michigan. My work is not confined to one substantive area of civil rights law, but rather, it is tailored to the particular needs of the state. I have gained experience on a variety of issues including free speech, Fourth Amendment search and seizure, reproductive justice and religious refusal. Perhaps most importantly, I have learned a great deal about impact litigation strategy. The ACLU of Michigan not only brings cases to protect the rights of individual plaintiffs, but also to achieve broader relief. Limited resources force attorneys and staff members to make careful determinations about where to focus their efforts. The ability to weigh the various factors involved in bringing an impact litigation suit and make the right decision is a skill I hope to further develop and to employ throughout my legal career. What are your plans for your career after your ACLU of Michigan experience? I would like explore other public interest careers in Detroit. I am particularly interested in the intersection of poverty law, racial justice and community economic development. Given the current pro-development climate in Detroit, an important question to ask is “development for whom?” Public policies should promote equitable development to ensure that new projects benefit the entire community, not just the wealthy few. Eliminating hazardous blight that detracts from the neighborhood is a laudable goal, but how do we prevent the blight in the first place? How do we as a community help keep people in their homes and make sure they have access to safe drinking water? I am interested in addressing the root causes of poverty and combatting the insidious processes and systemic racism that have caused vast racial inequality. What civil liberties issues are you most personally drawn to? In addition to economic and racial justice, I have always advocated for women's rights and reproductive freedom. I am particularly troubled by the trend toward "religious refusal," and its implications on women's and LGBTQ rights. More and more often, individuals, corporations and other entities are using religion as an excuse to discriminate against women and the LGBTQ community. Medical professionals are denying women basic reproductive healthcare in the name of religion. Catholic-affiliated hospitals mandate that doctors make decisions based on religious doctrine and not their medical expertise. Along the same vein, business-owners are refusing to provide services to LGBTQ people in the name of religion, and recently a doctor even refused to treat a newborn solely because her parents were gay. I consider myself fortunate to be working at an organization that both protects religious freedom, and is working to expand anti-discrimination laws to ensure that religion is not being used a license to discriminate.

As a woman, I hope for unfettered access to the medical care that is best for me and my body.

Moms Jami and Krista Contreras of Oak Park, Michigan brought their six-day-old newborn into a Roseville pediatric practice for a wellness checkup. The couple was turned away. Why?