News & Commentary

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ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Today, two same-sex couples seeking the freedom to marry filed a lawsuit in Albuquerque’s district court after they applied for and were denied marriage licenses. The lawsuit claims that the New Mexico marriage statutes and New Mexico Constitution do not bar same-sex couples from marrying, and therefore the State of New Mexico should issue civil marriage licenses to any same-sex couple who applies for one. The couples are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of New Mexico, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), the Albuquerque law firm Sutin, Thayer & Browne, APC, and local cooperating attorneys Maureen Sanders, Lynn Perls, and Kate Girard.   New Mexico is the only state in the country th

### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 19, 2013 CONTACT: Micah McCoy, (505) 266-5915 x1003 or [email protected]

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Tomorrow, the House Voters & Elections Committee will hear House Bill 103, introduced by Representative Cathrynn Brown. If this name sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because Cathrynn Brown recently gained political infamy for a misguided attempt to criminalize abortion after rape as “tampering with evidence.” Her newest piece of legislation, HB103, is a voter ID bill that “requires all voters to present identification before voting.” While this m   ay seem innocuous at first glance, mandatory Voter ID laws cause real harm to our democracy. As Representative Ken Martinez said in the Alamogordo Daily News, ID requirements disproportionately affect certain demographics. He says that seniors and low-income citizens are the least likely to have identification. They may also be unable to obtain ID’s because they often lack proper transportation. By adding this requirement, we would potentially deny a large segment of the population their right to vote.

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ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico announced that Walgreen Co. has given the organization assurance that individual pharmacists’ personal religious beliefs will not prevent customers from filling their birth control prescriptions at any of their pharmacies nationwide. The ACLU of New Mexico, the Southwest Women’s Law Center (SWLC) and Walgreen Co. have been in discussions since a pharmacist at an Albuquerque Walgreens location refused to fill the birth control prescriptions of two women due to his religious beliefs. The ACLU of New Mexico and SWLC believe that this act constitutes sex discrimination and is unlawful under the New Mexico Human Rights Act.

The labels "pro-choice" and "pro-life" just aren't working anymore. These two terms have defined the battle lines of the abortion issue for decades, but they simply don't reflect how people actually feel about abortion. It's a complicated issue that engenders a whole range of opinions. So instead of trying to fit everyone into one of these two boxes, we need to meet people where they are by talking about abortion in terms everyone can access. The message is simple: we shouldn't interfere with a woman's personal medical decisions because we're NOT IN HER SHOES. Watch this short video for a quick explanation of how this message can change the conversations we have about abortion: