American Civil Liberties Union

Who invented our genes? There are many possible answers to this question, but I'm pretty sure your answer wouldn't be, "Myriad Genetics."

But that question is at the heart of our ongoing challenge to patents Myriad controls on two human genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are associated with inherited risk of breast and ovarian cancer. We all have these genes, but people with certain mutations are much more likely to experience cancer in their lifetimes.

A federal appeals court heard arguments in the case of Peggy Young v. UPS. Peggy Young was a package delivery driver for UPS when she became pregnant and asked UPS for a light duty assignment, so that she could continue to work while pregnant, even though her doctor had recommended she not lift more than 20 pounds.

(Editor's note: We know it's no longer Women's History Month, but we still have a lot more to say! We'll be featuring a few more posts in April.)

Then: Around ACLU circles, one hears a lot about founding father Roger Baldwin, but less about founding mother Crystal Eastman. Eastman attended New York University Law School, graduating second in the class of 1905. She cofounded the National Civil Liberties Bureau to protect World War I conscientious objectors and outspoken dissenters -- in her words: “To maintain something over here that will be worth coming back to when the weary war is over.” The NCLB grew into the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920, with Baldwin at the head and Eastman functioning as attorney in charge.

Enactment of last year's National Defense Authorization Act brought about a long overdue and welcome change on the military health care front by allowing military women and dependents to receive insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape or incest. But the work to ensure that servicewomen's reproductive health needs are met is not nearly complete.

That's why we applaud the introduction in the Senate of the Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health (MARCH) for Military Women Act. Sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and 14 other stalwart supporters of our military women and families, the bill would allow servicewomen to use their own private funds to access abortion care on military treatment facilities. Earlier in the month, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) introduced a House companion bill, cosponsored by 40 representatives.