News & Commentary

It’s lame duck season in the state of Ohio and this year seems like the “super special” version. During the lame duck session, the legislature has just a few short weeks to pass laws before all bills have to start over from scratch in the new year.

On December 13, Governor John Kasich signed the 20-week abortion ban into law. SB127 is Ohio’s most recent attempt to close all clinics and make abortion care completely inaccessible for women who need it. This ban will impact women such as Sheva Guy, who, after receiving heartbreaking news about her pregnancy, was forced to travel 300 miles for the medical care she required. Sheva’s Story When Sheva was 22 weeks pregnant, her husband accompanied her to the doctor for a routine, second-trimester ultrasound, The happy couple was thrilled to learn they were having a girl. Their excitement turned to anxiety, though, when the technician struggled to get organ measurements. Unable to give the couple any answers, the doctor sent Sheva to a high-risk pregnancy specialist at a different hospital.

Illinois sets the stage for abortion access in America

Orange is the New Black – the binge-worthy, Peabody Award Winning, Netflix series – returns with Season 4 on June 17. Last season, the fictional Litchfield Correctional Facility faced closing its doors due to lack of funding and is soon after taken over by a private prison corporation.

Cassie Chenoweth is a high school intern with the ACLU of Ohio.

Prison is not the easiest topic to make entertaining, but The Washington Post called “Orange is the New Black” “the best TV show about prison ever made.” Of course “Orange is the New Black” is not all entertainment, and not entirely fiction. In fact it is based on the book, Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman’s Prison, the memoir of Piper Kerman. Piper is not just the inspiration behind the show, she is the real life hero tackling issues surrounding prison. Join us Sunday, October 25 at 2 p.m. for the 2015 Ed Likover Memorial Lecture, with our special guest Piper Kerman. Engage with Piper and hear her discuss her personal experiences, as well as relay stories and insights into the issues surrounding women’s prisons, mass incarceration, and solitary confinement. The event is free and open to the public. Visit our event page for further details and to RSVP.