Blog of Rights
04/16/2012
Religious Discrimination

A Look at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

By Dena Sher, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:31pm

In 1998, Congress created the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to draw attention to violations of religious freedom in other countries. The commissioners vote annually to list countries that are of particular concern or place others on a watch list of countries that should be monitored closely for religious freedom violations.

But, since its inception, the commission's been beset by controversy. People who watch the commission closely say it was created to satisfy special interests, which has led to bias in the commission's work. Past commissioners and staff have reported that the commission is "rife, behind-the-scenes, with ideology and tribalism." They've said that commissioners focus "on pet projects that are often based on their own religious background." In particular, past commissioners and staff reported "an anti-Muslim bias runs through the Commission's work."

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04/16/2012
On the Agenda

On the Agenda: Week of April 16 – 20, 2012

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 11:29am

Congress is back in session, so we've got a busy week ahead.

Today, the ACLU, along with several other groups, is launching a weeklong campaign called "Stop Cyber Spying Week" to draw attention to the massive civil liberties problems in H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, better known as CISPA. CISPA is scheduled to be voted on by the House of Representatives next week. Tomorrow ACLU Legislative Counsel Michelle Richardson will speak at a House Hill Briefing called "The False Choice: Cybersecurity vs. Civil Liberties."

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04/13/2012
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (04/13/2012)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:48pm

Which state recently passed the first bill in the nation that bans employers from asking for social media passwords?

Which Michigan agency has ended the practice of sexually abusive searches of women prisoners?

What constitutionally-guaranteed freedom is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops trying to use as an excuse to discriminate?

How many states passed laws that threaten minority and low-income voters' rights?

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04/11/2012
Using Religion to Discriminate

Whose Religious Freedom?

By Louise Melling, Center for Liberty at 5:32pm

The freedom of religion and belief is one of our most cherished liberties. The First Amendment protects our right to believe whatever we choose. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) would like you to think this right is in peril. As defenders of the Constitution, we beg to differ, and think that some of the recent controversies actually show that the First Amendment is doing its job, and confirm that religious freedom in America is alive and well.

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03/30/2012
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (3/30/2012)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 7:01pm

In which state did doctors try to force a pregnant woman to have a c-section against her wishes?

What group can no longer be held in solitary confinement in Mississippi?

How many cells compose a person according to Personhood USA's definition?

How many states oppose a national ID card?

Which federal agency illegally gathers intelligence on innocent American Muslims?

Your Body, Your Decisions — This Means You, Moms!
Recently, a mother in South Carolina reached out to the ACLU for help. She was pregnant, and although she had had two prior cesarean surgeries, she wished to attempt a "trial of labor," that is, to give birth naturally, rather than having a scheduled cesarean surgery. The mother's wish made sense in light of her medical history, and according to professional standards set by obstetricians.

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03/30/2012
Religion in Schools

"Don't Take Away Tennessee Students' Competitive Edge"

Just this week, the Tennessee legislature passed a bill that would allow public school teachers to teach creationism in addition to evolution in science classes. Gov. Bill Haslam now has less than 10 days to sign or veto the bill.

By Wesley H. Roberts, M. Ed., Tennessee biology teacher

I have been involved in evolution education for about 25 years. I am in the classroom every day and I currently teach at Hume Fogg Academic Magnet School, Tennessee's top-performing high school.

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03/27/2012
Using Religion to Discriminate

Victory! Court to Bishops: Federal Help for the Most Vulnerable Should Have No Strings Attached

By Andrew Beck, Reproductive Freedom Project at 12:27pm

Once again the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has attempted to impose its religious beliefs on those who don't share them. This time, they did so in an attempt to deny victims of human trafficking access to reproductive health services in a federally funded program.

Fortunately, late Friday night, a federal judge ruled that religion isn't a license to discriminate and that the government cannot award a contract to an organization that denies services to trafficking victims based on the organization's religious beliefs.

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03/27/2012
Religious Discrimination

FBI FOIA Docs Show Use of "Mosque Outreach" for Illegal Intel Gathering

By Nusrat Choudhury, Staff Attorney, ACLU National Security Project at 11:38am

This type of secret intelligence gathering is an affront to religious liberty and the right to equal protection of the law.

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03/26/2012
Student Rights in School

Does the Obama Administration Support SNDA?

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:53pm

During the White House Conference on Safe Schools and Communities held at the University of Texas at Arlington on Tuesday, Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett both walked up to the line of an endorsement for the Student Non-Discrimination Act.  Holder, echoing the remarks of Jarrett, said that the Obama administration “strongly supports the goals” of SNDA, characterizing it as a critical next step that needs to be taken to ensure the continued progress of the LGBT community, and, in this case, students who are or are presumed to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender  in our nation’s public K-12 schools.

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03/16/2012
Religion in Schools

March Madness: Tennessee Legislature Takes Another Shot at Undermining Evolution Education

By Heather L. Weaver, ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief at 4:32pm

March may mean only one thing — the NCAA tournament — for basketball fans, but for Tennessee legislators, March means the revival of a state tradition that is not so worthy of celebration: attacking the teaching of evolution in public schools. A proposed law currently under consideration by the Tennessee legislature seeks to gut science education by purporting to give public school teachers the freedom to help students think critically about the scientific theory of evolution through a review of its "strengths" and "weaknesses."

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