News & Commentary

It's not always easy keeping up to date on all the civil liberties issues we deal with. That's why once a week, we run down recent news and events in our Rights Review. This week we're shocked at news that puts health care for Michigan workers at risk, we're letting free speech out of its cage and asking the question: why hasn't your privacy been protected since MacGyver was on air?

Whether articulating an opinion or crying out against injustice, the human voice is one of the most precious things protected by the Bill of Rights. 50 years ago, bands of activists fought for civil rights in the segregated South. Read on to learn about the ACLU of Michigan's link to the Freedom Riders. This week we're hearing opinions on our current cases and honoring those who risked injury for justice.

Civil liberties abuses are often felt first by the most vulnerable segments of our society.

With incredible cases and an amazing amount of support from civil liberties fans, it seems like we've been working around the clock.

Defending our essential civil liberties from being taken away is always important ...but some weeks make us especially proud.

In a sea of Planned-Parenthood-pink during a visit with Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow during the Stand Up for Women’s Health Lobby Day, a young man raised his hand and asked the million dollar question – why should men be involved in the fight for women’s reproductive health? It was a good question, with a complicated answer, but one that would be a game-changer for women’s equality. Sen. Stabenow answered that men have to share responsibility for birth control in a relationship and men have to be concerned about sexually transmitted infections. And it’s so much more than that. So how do we answer the question for this obviously enlightened young man and those like him who rode a bus for 12 hours from Detroit to Washington, D.C., to spend six hours at a rally defending family planning? Men, who now dominate congressional leadership, are in the position to make decisions that most critically affect the reproductive rights of women in America. Women have never come close to representing our 51 percent of the population in elected positions and the 2010 election cycle was especially brutal across the nation with regards to equal representation. And as much as we hate to admit it, we exist in a society where decision-making power and earning power continue to be dominated by men. Therefore:

You can’t help but smile when you see the pride on Ehlena’s face as she instructs her service dog, Wonder, to open a door or help her take off her coat. While Ehlena takes great pride in Wonder, her parents, Stacy and Brent Fry, marvel at all that Ehlena herself has accomplished. With Wonder’s assistance, Ehlena’s self-confidence and independence have flourished despite her cerebral palsy.It’s been nearly one year since we first blogged about Ehlena. Back in October 2009, Ehlena and her family brought Wonder home to Michigan after several weeks of training. Ehlena was eager to take Wonder to class with her, but her school district wouldn’t allow it.The ACLU of Michigan intervened, and in April 2010 Ehlena’s school district agreed to allow Wonder to accompany her through the end of the school year.However, the victory was short-lived. The school district is again refusing to allow Wonder into class, maintaining that because Ehlena herself is not Wonder’s “handler,” he cannot be a service dog.Currently, Wonder outweighs Elena by nearly 50 pounds and like many small children who rely on service dogs, Ehlena needs a “handler” to assist her.While Ehlena is responsible for commanding Wonder, her mother Stacy has a limited role of physically managing Wonder until Ehlena is older.Recently, federal regulations related to service animals were corrected making it clear that a service animal’s handler is not necessarily the individual with a disability.We hope this change in the regulations will also make a difference for Ehlena.The change in the regulations was a victory for all those who utilize service dogs but may not be able to totally control the service animal themselves for various reasons," said Ehlena' mother. "During our long and continuous journey, this is a step in the right direction, not only for our daughter’s independence and inclusion, but all those affected by similar situations."On the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, we filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of Ehlena. To date, Wonder is still not allowed in the classroom.The investigation is still pending, but we hope Wonder will be in the classroom soon.

There's nothing more wholesome and quintessentially American than a day at the ballgame with your kids.At least until an honest mistake means you have to move out of your home and your child is taken away by authorities.This story and more on the civil liberties front in Your Weekly Rights Review.

In the midst of March Madness, even the most casual sports fans notice that basketball referees are amongst the least popular individuals on the court.At any given time, at least one team (and if you are really good, perhaps both) believes that referees missed a good call or made a bad one.However, a group of girls in Melvindale were ecstatic to see an additional referee on their court when they played the final game of their season last month.This third referee represented equal treatment, equal value and the ability of one person to make a difference.The reason why this third referee meant so much was that midway through the high school basketball season, the Downriver Athletic League (DAL) athletic directors adopted a policy to treat girls' high school basketball programs less favorably than boys' basketball programs.Specifically, DAL elected to assign three referees to officiate all boys' league games, but only two for all girls' league games.This policy plainly violated the Title IX mandate that schools must provide "equal athletic opportunity for members of both sexes." It also placed the girls' teams at a significant disadvantage — when there are three referees assigned to a game, they are able to better position themselves to see angles that they simply cannot see if there are only two referees.Finally, it sent a strong message to the female athletes that they were second-class citizens, and that the quality of officiating was less important in their games than in the boys' game.As a former student athlete myself, I was not surprised to hear that the girls noticed this difference right away. "Why do we only have two referees?" the girls at Melvindale High School asked their coach, Katie McFadden. Because she did not have a satisfactory answer, McFadden decided to ask her own tough questions.Together, the ACLU of Michigan and McFadden wrote a letter to the DAL asking them to repeal their illegal policy and immediately begin assigning three referees to all girls' basketball games.When the girls stepped onto the court for their championship game, they were greeted by three individuals in the striped referee uniform. "Coach, coach, we have three referees!" they exclaimed excitedly.In response to our letter, the DAL had amended its policy, effective immediately, and promised to ensure that an equal number of referees would be utilized in future seasons as well. Melvindale High School ended up winning that game (which, according to McFadden, was officiated quite well).As important, however, these students learned through the example of their coach about the power of the individual to enact positive change. And that is a victory we can all get behind.