Valentine's Day News Round-Up: California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin
Happy Valentine's Day -- or as The Liberty Council calls it "The Fourth Annual Day of Purity."Ever wondered what sorts of demonstrations take place in abstinence-only-until-marriage programs? Here's a sampling from recent news articles:In Montgomery, Maryland high school students were encouraged to participate in the "gum game" in which they share a piece of gum with classmates to demonstrate the consequences of premarital sex.Students were also told they could sample squares of chocolate, one of which, according to the instructor, was actually a laxative in order to illustrate the uncertainty of knowing whether an STD was contracted after a sexual encounter.In York County, Pennsylvania, an instructor sticks tape to students' arms. Once removed, the instructor notes how the tape is no longer clear as bits of hair, skin and soap have stuck to it, and how the tape no longer sticks well to other items, apparently in an attempt to teach students that, "[a]ny time you have sex with someone, you leave a piece of yourself with them."I'm pretty sure none of these tactics address what teens really need -- information on how to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and STDs.And now for the news round-up:California: Teens from four area high schools in Oakland have put together a 15 minute movie to educate their peers about contraceptives. The article notes that two years ago Oakland's schools approved making contraception available on high school campuses, as long as it was provided by school-based health clinics or community organizations. There can't be many other high schools in the nation that have this policy.Colorado: An op-ed in the Daily Athenaeum says the move by schools in Fort Collins, Colorado, to teach students about contraception is a step in the right direction.Florida: St. Lucie County public schools are getting closer to implementing comprehensive sex education. Local health instructors are scheduled to meet with the district's top science staff member to review potential curricula. Efforts to improve the curriculum couldn't have come at a better time: 2005 State Health Department statistics show that St. Lucie County had the highest proportion of blacks living with HIV among Florida's 67 counties-1 in 35.Louisiana: Joe Cook, the Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana, is quoted in an article about purity balls. He notes that the ACLU favors "abstinence-plus" programs where abstinence is stressed but teens are still able to learn how to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and STDs.Michigan: Cedar Springs schools are set to approve a new policy regarding sex education. The proposed policy would require that sex education address: benefits of abstinence; possible emotional, economic and legal consequences of sex; legal responsibility of parenthood; how to refuse sexual advances; self-control and respect for others; healthy dating relationships and how to set limits; and adoption services and safe delivery of newborns. Of course, nowhere is contraception even mentioned.Nevada: Abstinence-only-until-marriage speaker Pam Stenzel is visiting schools throughout northern Nevada. Stenzel's speaking engagements are funded using a $35,000 federal grant received by the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Reno.Virginia: Local parents and religious leaders are voicing their concerns over presentations by the abstinence-only-until-marriage comedian, Keith Deltano, at local high schools. A mother who watched Deltano's presentation in October says she is disturbed to hear that he has been invited back to Loudoun County High School, and a local minister urges administrators at Dominion High School not to follow suit.Washington: Good News! Legislation that would require comprehensive sex education in schools is likely to pass the state legislature this year.Wisconsin: The Ashland School District is reinstating its annual sex education talk for fifth graders after an increase in the number of young students who have sought pregnancy testing. The Ashland County Human Services Department Children and Families Unit reports that it has had "four 12-year-olds and an 11-year-old girl inquiring about pregnancy tests" just this year. The annual talk was suspended last year after parents complained about its content.
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News & CommentaryDec 2024
Civil Liberties
We Need to Know More About State Supreme Court CasesWe Need to Know More About State Supreme Court Cases
State Supreme Courts interpret laws that impact some of the most intimate parts of our lives. Communities have a right to know what’s on the docket. -
Press ReleaseDec 2024
Civil Liberties
New ACLU Report Reveals Most State Supreme Courts Fail to Meet Key Transparency MeasuresNew ACLU Report Reveals Most State Supreme Courts Fail to Meet Key Transparency Measures
NEW YORK — Nearly half of all state supreme courts across the country fail to regularly post new cases they are considering, with only six meeting four key transparency measures already implemented by the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a new report published today by the American Civil Liberties Union. The report identifies significant steps that state supreme courts should take to inform the public about their cases, which have only grown in importance as the federal judiciary has become more hostile to protecting core rights and advocates have turned to state protections and state court litigation in response. Based on an analysis of the practices and policies of the highest courts in each state, including D.C., the report “Scorecard for State Supreme Court Transparency: How Does Your State Stack Up?” ranks each state supreme court in five tiers based on compliance with four key transparency measures. These measures include posting new cases online in a timely manner, providing timely information about legal issues presented by cases, making dockets accessible and free for the public, and making merits briefing accessible and free for the public. “State courts regularly hear — and are the final word on — cases affecting abortion rights, voting rights, criminal justice reform, and more. Yet, in many instances, the highest state courts do not provide meaningful public access to information about cases affecting the rights and liberties of millions of people. We urge state supreme courts to bring more transparency to the critical work they do,” said Julie Murray, co-director of the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative. “In the face of a federal judiciary increasingly unwilling to protect core rights and an incoming administration that threatens to exacerbate that problem, state courts are an important defense for our liberty. They should be leaders in transparency, too,” said Bridget Lavender, Skadden Fellow with the Initiative. The report emphasizes that state courts “play an outsized role” in many parts of the law, but their ability to “guard our liberties depends in significant part on whether those courts adopt transparent processes.” It further highlights that state supreme courts have led the way on enormously consequential decisions in recent years. In particular, some state supreme courts have recognized the right of same sex couples to marry, and did so long before federal courts. They have also declared the death penalty unconstitutional under state law despite contrary federal law, protected access to reproductive health care as a right even as that right was being stripped away at the federal level, and provided more robust protection to people subject to unreasonable searches and seizures. The report urges state supreme courts to take action to improve their transparency practices, taking notes from the courts that have already implemented these measures. It notes that regularly posting new cases and the issues they represent, and providing timely access to dockets and merits briefing allows the public, the press, and the legal community to track cases as they unfold, identify cases with statewide consequences, and understand what’s at stake. -
Press ReleaseNov 2024
National Security
+2 Issues
ACLU Urges House to Kill Bill that Could Give Trump Admin Power to Crush Dissent and Go After Political EnemiesACLU Urges House to Kill Bill that Could Give Trump Admin Power to Crush Dissent and Go After Political Enemies
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union strongly urges the House of Representatives to vote NO on H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would grant Donald Trump and his handpicked secretary of the Treasury power to investigate and effectively shut down any tax-exempt organization — including news outlets, universities, and civil society groups — by stripping them of tax-exempt status based on an unilateral accusation of wrongdoing. “Passing this bill would hand the incoming Trump administration a dangerous new tool it could use to stifle free speech, target political opponents, and punish disfavored groups,” said Kia Hamadanchy, senior policy counsel at ACLU. “The freedom to dissent without fear of government retribution is a vital part of any well-functioning democracy, which is why Congress must block H.R. 9495 before it’s too late.” While there is a 90-day “cure” period in which a designated nonprofit can mount a defense, it is a mere illusion of due process. The government may deny organizations its reasons and evidence against them, leaving the nonprofit unable to rebut allegations. This means that a nonprofit could be left entirely in the dark about what conduct the government believes qualifies as "support," making it virtually impossible to clear its name. Last month, the ACLU and a diverse array of over 130 other tax-exempt organizations — including human rights, reproductive health, and immigrants’ rights groups — wrote to Congress urging them to vote no. The letter also explains that the groups do not oppose the provisions in H.R. 9495 that relate to preventing the IRS from imposing fines and penalties on hostages while they are held abroad. Indeed, these provisions have already passed the Senate on their own, and if the House of Representatives were to pass a version of this bill that did not include the text of H.R. 6408, it could be sent immediately to President Biden for his signature. -
News & CommentaryNov 2024
Civil Liberties
Donald Trump Will Return to the White House in January. The ACLU is Ready.Donald Trump Will Return to the White House in January. The ACLU is Ready.
Starting in 2016, the ACLU filed more than 400 legal actions against Trump and his administration. As Trump returns to the White House, we’re ready to return to the courts and Congress to fight for our civil liberties.