News & Commentary

Last Thursday marked the 24th day of the 2019 legislative session, and the last two weeks have been filled with no shortage of fights for the civil liberties of Alabamians. Following last week's final passage of HB314 in the Senate and the bill being signed into the law by Governor Ivey, thousands of Alabamians marched together around the state to protest this unconstitutional attack on abortion rights.

Last week, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation banning nearly all abortions. The law, which threatens doctors with up to 99 years in prison for performing abortions, is the anti-abortion opposition’s true agenda on display: ban abortion, jail doctors, and push this essential health care out of reach.

For years, the Alabama legislature has been passing laws that push abortion out of reach. Now politicians have finally shown their true colors and are trying to ban abortion outright.

As enshrined in the First Amendment, religious freedom includes two complementary protections: the right to religious belief and expression and a guarantee that the government neither prefers religion over non-religion nor favors particular faiths over others.

Nigel Shelby, a 15 year old student at Huntsville High School, committed suicide last Friday as a result of anti-LGBTQ bullying. While some may say Nigel “took his own life,” I disagree with that description. We should have done more to save it.

Today is the 12th day of the 2019 legislative season and the session is in full swing. Last week, HB314, passed the House health committee with a favorable report and it now heads to the House floor for debate. The ACLU of Alabama has been out front in opposition to this bill and in last Wednesday’s public hearing Executive Director, Randall Marshall, testified in opposition to HB314 and stated that Alabamians are paying a significant price (millions!) for the state to defend unconstitutional legislation like this bill.

For years, Gavin McInnes has spewed bigoted views on everything from race and religion to gender and immigration. He has described a transgender person as “[a] hideous man who thinks he’s a woman;” claimed that “Muslims can rape children with reckless abandon;” and argued that a Black man who is “mistaken for a homeless man,” should be “mad” not at the person who mischaracterizes him, but “at all the homeless black men who . . . created this stereotype in the first place.” As a result, McInnes has made quite a name for himself.

Today is the 10th day of the 2019 legislative season and we are preparing for a major week of legislative action on critical issues such as marijuana and criminal justice reform.

After the gas tax special session and the legislative spring break, the 2019 Legislative Session is halfway through. Still, there’s no shortage of bills moving through the legislature with important civil liberties implications.