News & Commentary

My husband and I were expecting what we hoped would be our second child in 2017 when a routine ultrasound at 20 weeks revealed potential problems — problems that quickly opened my eyes to a host of Michigan anti-abortion laws that serve no medical purpose but succeed in making access to a common med

In the fall of 2021, we discovered at a routine ultrasound appointment during my  second trimester that our baby had an abnormality called a cystic hygroma, a condition we learned was rarely survivable. It was the second piece of devastating news. A few weeks prior we’d learned that I was pregnant w

We write to express our agreement with many of the important points Emme Zanotti made in her recent opinion piece. (“It isn’t about a rainbow flag. LGBTQ Michiganders are fighting for their lives,” Detroit Free Press, June 9.) As ACLU attorneys, we’d also like to add a legal perspective to the growi

The Michigan Supreme Court wrapped up its current term by issuing important, pro-civil liberties decisions in three cases involving the ACLU of Michigan. Reflecting part of the wide range of issues the ACLU works on, the decisions came in cases involving the rights of LGBTQ+ parents and their childr

A local hair salon owner publicly announced that she would not serve transgender people. Rather, they could seek “services at a local pet groomer.” Her comparison of transgender people to animals shocks the conscience. This business owner has de-humanized members of our community – our daughters, s

Because of a hotly disputed stance taken by insurance companies, people who suffered catastrophic injuries prior to the new law’s implementation are in a perilous position. People like Ms. Andary, who is a lead plaintiff in Andary v. USAA Casualty Insurance Company. Now in front of the Michigan Supr

Michiganders sent an emphatic message last November when the majority of voters approved Proposal 3, enshrining reproductive freedom, including the right to abortion, in the state constitution. It was a history-making victory. With anti-abortion laws still on our books, we now need the Michigan Stat

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing a right to abortion 50 years ago, anti-abortion forces around the country began passing laws creating obstacles to a medical procedure people were legally entitled to. Michigan was no exception.  

Michigan lawmakers are fulfilling the promise of democracy by passing laws needed to expand access to the ballot box and guarantee elections remain fair. Now, it is up to the rest of us to help move that mandate forward by learning how to engage with local election officials to support city and coun