News & Commentary

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.

Belle Likover and Piper Kerman

Piper Kerman, ACLU of Ohio Executive Director Chris Link,
and ACLU of Ohio Board President Jack Guttenberg

"Women and girls in prison suffer with mental health
and substance abuse issues at much higher rates than men."

Piper Kerman, Development Manager Jocelyn Rosnick, Belle Likover,
Associate Development Director Mary LaVigne-Butler

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.

Are you hooked on the Peabody Award-winning, critically acclaimed Netflix series “Orange is the New Black?” The stories of main character Piper Chapman’s time in prison have been shown on screens across the country, and brought prison issues to the conscience of the general public. In fact, The Washington Post called it “the best TV show about prison ever made.” Character complexities, a diverse cast, drama and humor, have all added to the success of the show, and exploited society’s binge-watching tendencies. Events and Inspirations The real-life inspiration behind the show is Piper Kerman. In 1993, after graduating from Smith College, Kerman became romantically involved with a woman, who was a drug runner for a West African kingpin. Piper herself never smuggled heroin, but she did help launder money. In 1998, years removed from her life of crime, customs agents came to Piper’s New York City apartment with an indictment for money laundering and drug trafficking. In 2004, after years of legal entanglements, and over a decade after her criminal involvement, Piper went to prison. The people Piper met along the way and the experiences she had became the inspiration for her memoir, The New York Times No. 1 bestseller, “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman’s Prison.” Through her wonderful book, and the subsequent TV show, Piper has captured the hearts and minds of the country, and introduced them to the world of prison, in a way that no one else has. An Agent For Change But Piper is not just an author, she is an activist. Currently, Piper serves on the board of the Women’s Prison Association in New York City. The WPA recently introduced the program, JusticeHome, which will allow some mothers to remain at home with their children, while serving their sentence, helping to keep families together. Piper frequently uses her Twitter account to dialogue on girls’ and women’s rights, as well as mental health and mass incarceration issues. Piper even testified in front of congress on the negative impact of solitary confinement.

It’s hard to believe that in this day and age women can be fired for becoming pregnant. A quick Google search for “pregnant and fired” brings up multiple headlines in the news documenting stories of women fired once their bosses learned of their pregnancy.