General
Response to final passage of House Bill 3052
5.3.12
In response to the final passage of House Bill 3052 by the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma released the following statement:
May 2, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director, ACLU of OK, 405.524.8511, rkiesel@acluok.org
“When HB 3052 was introduced earlier this session in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, it was far from perfect. However, as it moved through the political process even the modest reforms it offered to our broken criminal justice system and overincarceration crisis were turned on their head by the same political mindset that has stood in the way of true criminal justice reform for decades.”
“While the ACLU of Oklahoma applauds Speaker Kris Steele for his commitment to reform, we cannot help but be disappointed that the final version of HB 3052 is more notable for what it does not do, rather than for what it does, and in practice it has the potential to dig us even deeper into our current prison crisis.”
“Perhaps the greatest danger as we move forward is if future policy makers look at HB 3052 as having addressed the serious problems with our criminal justice system. It has not. We call on the policy More >
Unanimous Oklahoma Supreme Court Blocks Dangerous “Personhood” Initiative
4.30.12
ACLU and Women’s Health Advocates Had Filed Lawsuit to Protect Vital Health Services in Oklahoma
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2012
CONTACT: Robyn Shepherd, ACLU National, (212) 519-7829 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org Ryan Kiesel, ACLU of Oklahoma, (405) 524-8511; rkiesel@acluok.org
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Supreme Court unanimously struck down a proposed ballot initiative that would have banned vital health services by granting fertilized eggs and embryos the same constitutional rights as people. The justices ruled that the initiative was unconstitutional in light of the previous U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld the right to have an abortion.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Oklahoma and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit last month on behalf of six Oklahoma voters. If passed, the initiative would have outlawed many critical reproductive health services, including all abortion care, commonly used forms of birth control, in vitro fertilization and treatment for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages.
“The proponents of this initiative were attempting to insert politicians into the deeply personal medical decisions of Oklahoma women and their families,” said Ryan Kiesel, executive director of the ACLU of Oklahoma. “We’re relieved that this dangerous initiative won’t be on the ballot.”
“The Supreme Court More >
Oklahoma State Senate offers modest reforms to our broken criminal justice system and overincarceration crisis
4.27.12
In response to the passage of House Bill 3052 by the Oklahoma State Senate, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma released the following statement:
April 26, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director, ACLU of OK, 405.524.8511, rkiesel@acluok.org
“Before HB 3052 arrived in the Oklahoma State Senate it offered modest reforms to our broken criminal justice system and overincarceration crisis and represented a promising first step towards meaningful reforms in the future. However, after a Senate committee stripped the bill of important provisions that would protect the people of Oklahoma and their tax dollars, the bill is reform in name only. The lack of political resolve to tackle one of our state’s most pressing issues is distressing. There will be real and long-term consequences for the people of Oklahoma if the legislature continues to kick the can down the road in the name of political expediency. We strongly urge the Oklahoma House of Representatives to reject the Senate’s amendments and work towards actual reforms before the session ends in May.”
All comments attributable to Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director of the ACLU of Oklahoma
-30-
Oklahoma State Senate passes House Bill 2388, authorizing drug testing for applicants of TANF upon a finding of reasonable cause
4.27.12
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma released the following statement in response to the Oklahoma State Senate’s passage of House Bill 2388, authorizing drug test for applicants of TANF upon a finding of reasonable cause. The original version of the bill would have required ALL TANF applicants to submit to a drug test and would have required the applicant to pay for the drug test.
April 26, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director, ACLU of OK, 405.524.8511, rkiesel@acluok.org
“We are pleased the Oklahoma Senate has learned the lessons of other states who sought to impose suspicionless drug tests on all applicants for temporary assistance. Those states failed to realize the savings proponents of these laws promise, and the ACLU has successfully challenged such laws in Federal Court as a violation of the Fourth Amendment. However, with the Senate’s amendments to HB 2388, the thousands of Oklahoma families that find themselves on hard times in a depressed economy will be spared the further indignity of choosing between their Constitutional Rights and putting food on the table.”
“That said, HB 2388 still requires a screening program and testing if officials find reasonable suspicion of drug use, which begs the question of More >
ACLU and Women’s Health Groups File Lawsuit to Protect Vital Health Services in Oklahoma
3.29.12
OKLAHOMA CITY – A lawsuit was filed today on behalf of six Oklahoma voters – including women’s health providers– against an Oklahoma ballot initiative that would ban vital health services by granting fertilized eggs and embryos the same constitutional rights as people. The voters are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Oklahoma and the Center for Reproductive Rights.
“By their own admission, the proponents of this initiative aim to strip women and families of their established right to decide whether and when to become pregnant and carry a pregnancy to term,” said Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director of the ACLU of Oklahoma. “This initiative insults Oklahoma women’s intelligence and dignity by denying access to basic health services.” If passed, the initiative would outlaw many critical reproductive health services, including all abortion care, commonly used forms of birth control, in vitro fertilization and treatment for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages.
“It’s been nearly four decades since the Supreme Court ruled that women have the right to safe, legal abortion services,” said Talcott Camp, deputy director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “Yet state legislatures continue to attack that right through dangerous, outrageous initiatives such as this one. This is unacceptable. We More >
