This Week in Abortion: Protecting Free Speech
A collection of good reads, events from the week, and policy insights on reproductive health.
I am supposed to be taking a break this week. And, I am. Sort of. Instead of reproductive rights, I’m diving into your weekend to talk about free speech and recent actions of the Trump administration.
The abduction and attempted deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and others are testing the founding principles of this country. People around the U.S. are living in fear; in some cases, afraid to leave their homes. So far it’s only individuals on green cards or visas that have been picked up. I am not convinced they won’t eventually try the same shit with naturalized citizens.
Although this is not directly about reproductive rights today. This is VERY MUCH about reproductive rights.
The Trump administration is testing the authority of our court system and seeking to break down established norms in every way possible. They are misusing the law, ignoring court orders, and attacking judges.
It started with migrants and others without visas. Now, it includes residents the administration disagrees with. I don’t think it will be long before this moves away from opinions about wars in the Middle East to “wars” at home. Even if it doesn’t, what Trump is doing today to immigrants is attacking the balance of power in ways that will have ramifications for future fights over, say, the Comstock Act.
It does not matter what flag a person carries or what policies they support. Free expression is the modern foundation of the United States.
Below are a series of steps and a collection of resources you can use to be prepared and to help others who are targeted by federal immigration authorities. These are yours to share.
A group of Tufts alum - including professors and recent students who are close to protestors - put this together.
The first is a general guide for any campus in the country. The second is Tufts-specific (where Rumeysa was picked up) and will be very useful for anyone in Massachusetts.