ACLU Launches 2022 Midterm Campaign to Create a Reproductive Rights Firewall

The 100+ Year Old Civil Liberty Organization Will Deploy Laser-Focused Comprehensive Plan to Expand and Protect Abortion Rights

July 7, 2022 2:15 pm

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WASHINGTONThe American Civil Liberties Union is announcing its engagement in the 2022 midterms to protect abortion access in a post-Roe reality. As part of its efforts to expand and protect abortion rights, the ACLU will support ballot measures and make strategic investments in-key down ballot races.

To create a firewall in key states, we’re deeply involved in supporting ballot measures to amend state constitutions to reproductive freedom in Michigan and Vermont and actively opposing ballots to limit the promise of state constitutional protections in Kentucky and Kansas.

For more than a decade, the fight for abortion access has primarily been in the states, and those courts will take on increasing importance as we work to define abortion access in state constitutions. Key in this firewall work are state Supreme Court judges, the ACLU will likely engage in state Supreme Court races in North Carolina, Ohio, Kansas, Montana and Michigan to ensure that state judges increasingly uphold our fundamental right to reproductive freedom and other civil liberties. This is the first time the ACLU has developed a multi-state approach to elections for state Supreme Courts.

In addition, the ACLU will focus on local prosecutors, who will soon be on the front line of determining whether to prosecute individuals accused of breaking an abortion ban. The ACLU plans to keep political pressure on DA candidates in targeted states to get them to commit to using their prosecutorial discretion and not enforce these bans.

“At the ACLU this election cycle, we are deploying a whole-of-organization approach to ensure every voter has the information they need to make an informed decision on election day, especially when it comes to reproductive rights,” said Kary Moss ACLU Acting National Political Director. “We will use the full power of the ACLU to create a firewall for abortion access by leveraging the courts, state legislatures, and, key for this moment, the ballot box through ballot measures and candidate races.”

The ACLU is a non-partisan organization and does not support or oppose candidates for office. The organization will leverage its nationwide footprint as well as deploy tools and resources, including direct mail, digital ads and on the ground organizing, to make sure voters know candidates’ position on abortion rights and understand how to vote for their values.

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