ACROSS THE COUNTRY, fundamental freedoms are under attack: from near-total abortion bans to the criminalization of trans people to endemic voter suppression. We’re proud that Massachusetts leaders have charted a different course, passing best-in-the-nation abortion protections, safeguards for gender-affirming care providers, and major voting reforms. While other states are focused on closing hearts and minds, […]
Carol Rose
Executive Director, ACLU of Massachusetts
Posted inOpinion
Next steps beyond Roe v Wade
WITH THE LEAKED Dobbs v. Jackson draft opinion, the US Supreme Court confirmed what we saw coming: the high court is preparing to overturn federal constitutional abortion protections and push abortion out of reach for millions of people. If the court does indeed issue a final ruling similar to the leaked draft, more than half of states across the […]
Posted inOpinion
Make Mass. a leader in reproductive freedom
FORTY-NINE YEARS ago today, the United States Supreme Court issued its historic ruling in the case of Roe v. Wade, confirming that access to abortion is a right guaranteed by the US Constitution. But in the past few months, we’ve seen profoundly troubling signs that indicate the court’s conservative majority is finally ready—and willing—to overturn […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
We need a new post-pandemic ‘normal’
AFTER MORE THAN a year of restrictions, Massachusetts is returning to something like normal. But the pandemic has made it painfully clear that, for many people, “normal” was never just or equitable. From disparities in public health, cruelty in the criminal legal system, and barriers to voting in elections, COVID-19 revealed as many problems in […]
Posted inOpinion
My checklist for Beacon Hill
WHILE A FEW remaining ballots have yet to be tallied, this much is certain: For the second time, and by a margin of two to one, Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly rejected Donald Trump’s hateful agenda, signaling their political support for a more compassionate, just, and equitable society. Despite unprecedented threats to voting rights, including attacks on […]
Posted inOpinion
Election highlights our collective responsibility
THIS ELECTION is unprecedented in many ways: our country is still in the grips of a pandemic; millions of Americans are voting early and by mail for the first time; and Election Day comes on the heels of a rushed Supreme Court nomination. More than any other in recent memory, this election highlights our collective […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Attacks on Postal Service are attack on democracy
FOR OVER two and a half centuries, the United States Postal Service has, in one form or another, served an essential function: to facilitate the exchange of goods, services, and information—the lifeblood of a free society—even during times of war, disease, or economic upheaval. Generations of postal workers have ensured the continued existence of our […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Here’s the police reform bill the ACLU wants
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, people have been taking to the streets to protest against police brutality and systemic racism. In some states, their calls for change have been met by even more brutality. Here in Massachusetts, lawmakers have responded with proposals and promises to embark on a path toward racial justice and police accountability. In order […]
Posted inOpinion
In police licensing, the details matter
THE POLICE KILLINGS of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and other black people have brought renewed, international attention to racism in law enforcement. Thankfully, Massachusetts elected leaders have taken note, and have already proposed some crucial reforms that could make it possible to hold police accountable—to some extent—for misconduct. Last week, Gov. Charlie Baker […]
Posted inOpinion
For those in jail, COVID-19 could be death sentence
LEGAL GROUPS, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, have made an urgent plea to the state’s highest court. “There are about 16,500 human beings in our prisons and jails,” they wrote in a court filing. “None of them have been sentenced to death. Yet, without aggressive and immediate intervention, COVID-19 will likely kill […]