THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTY UNION ACLU

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THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTY UNION (ACLU)

• A Pro-Choice Advocate
• By Natalie Green
• American Politics, 101
• 04/12/06

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Non- Profit Non Partisan

• Founded in 1920
• Started as a roomful of Civil Liberties Activists
• Membership is now
• 22,000 in (Illinois)
• 400,000 (Nationwide)
• Supported by
• -Annual dues Contributions from its members
• -Grants from Private Foundations Individuals
• -Receives NO Government Funding

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ACLU-An Interest Group

• Handles nearly 6,000 court cases yearly,
  defending the rights and liberties of others
• From within these cases, ACLU carries the largest
  court dockets in the nation on the issue of
• Pro-Choice or Reproductive Rights
• Reproductive Rights Freedom has been made a
  priority of ACLU
• They are leading the league in support of women
  pro-choice abortion issues
• In doing so, in 1979, ACLU established a project
  called
• The Reproductive Rights Project

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The Reproductive Rights Project Pro-Choice
Abortion Issues An Important U.S. Supreme Court
case cited by ACLUs

• 2006
• Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New
  England, 04-1144
• ACLU argued this case before the U.S. Supreme
  Court
• The New Hampshire clinics physician brought the
  lawsuit
• Rights of pregnant teenagers under 18 to have an
  abortion

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The Reproductive Rights Project Pro-Choice
Abortion IssuesAnother Important U.S. Supreme
Court case cited by ACLUs

• 2001
• Ferguson v. City of Charleston, 532 U.S. 67
• ACLU filed a friend-of-the court brief
• Challenging the constitutionality of a South
  Carolina public hospital policy
• Policy mandating drug testing of pregnant women
  seeking prenatal care

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The Reproductive Rights Project Pro-Choice
Abortion Issues Landmark U.S. Supreme Court case
cited by ACLUs

• 1973
• Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113
• ACLUs general counsel was a member of the legal
  team representing this landmark case
• Challenging the constitutionality of Texas
  criminal abortion laws
• A pregnant single woman (Roe) brought a class
  action lawsuit

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The Roe v. Wade court case has torched
off one of the biggest conflicts and debates
that exist publicly and politically,
over a womans right to choice in
the case of whether or not it should
be legal for women to have abortions.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY 

• 1) About, Inc., Women History, Roe v.
  Wade Supreme Court Decision. 2006.
• A part of The New York Times
  Company.15 Feb. 2006.
• lthttp//womenshistory.about.com/library/
  etext/gov/bl_roe_a.htmgt
•  
• 2) American Civil Liberties Union of
  Illinois, A Brief History of the ACLU of
• Illinois, 2006. American Civil
  Liberties Union of Illinois and the Roger
• Baldwin Foundation of ACLU, Inc. 15
  Feb. 2006.
• lthttp//www.aclu-il.org/aboutus/histor
  y.shtmlgt
•  
• 3) American Civil Liberties Union of
  Illinois, Reproductive Rights, 2006.
• American Civil Liberties Union of
  Illinois and the Roger Baldwin Foundation of
  
• ACLU, Inc. 15 Feb. 2006.
• lthttp//www.aclu-il.org/legal/rrp.shtmlgt
• 4) American Civil Liberties Union of
  Illinois, Timeline of Important Reproductive
  Freedom Cases Decided by the Supreme Court,
  2006. American Civil Liberties Union of
  Illinois and the Roger Baldwin Foundation of
  ACLU, Inc. 15 Feb. 2006.
  lthttp//www.aclu.org/reproductiverights/gen/16463r
  es20031201.htmlgt