CONTACTO: Kate Miller, Prgram Associate,
502-581-9746,
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(Kentucky) – En respuesta
alas amenazas contra las libertades civiles provocadas por la
recientepromulgación de la ley de discriminación racial de Arizona, la
Unión Americanade Libertades Civiles (ACLU) de Kentucky, emitió una
alerta a viajeros el díade hoy para informar a los residentes del estado
de Kentucky de sus derechos encaso de que los intercepten las
autoridades al viajar dentro del estado deArizona. Dicha ley
anticonstitucional, conocida como la SB 1070, requiere quelos miembros
de los cuerpos policiacos exijan “documentos” a las personas aquienes
intercepten si sospechan que no tienen autorización para estar en
losEstados Unidos. Si dichos individuos no pueden comprobar a los
oficiales quetienen permiso para estar en los EE.UU., pueden ser objeto
del arresto sinorden judicial y sin causa probable de que hayan cometido
un delito.
Aunque la ley no entrará en vigorhasta
el 29 de julio, a la ACLU del estado de Kentucky le preocupa que
algunosmiembros de las fuerzas del orden público ya han comenzado a
aplicar algunasdisposiciones de la ley. Incluso, Arizona tiene ya
antecedentes dediscriminación racial generalizada por parte de las
autoridades, especialmenteen el Condado de Maricopa. Además, existe una
política anti-inmigrante defacto de “desgaste por medio
delcumplimiento” por parte de los legisladores de Arizona, cuya
intención es crearun ambiente lo suficientemente hostil hacia los
latinos y demás personas “decolor”, que acaban por abandonar el estado
por su propia voluntad.
“Es imperativo que los residentesdel estado de
Kentucky tengan claro sus derechos antes de viajar a Arizona,”dijo
Michael Alridge, Director Ejecutivo de la ACLU del estado de Kentucky. “Los
residentes de Kentucky deben estarconscientes que según esta ley,
cualquier persona que tenga aspecto de‘extranjero’ tiene una mayor
probabilidad de que lo intercepten porinfracciones menores, como tener
las direccionales rotas o cruzar la calle ilegalmente,y que luego les
pidan sus ‘documentos’ si la policía cree, con tan sólomirarles, que
podrían estar en el país ilegalmente.”
Además de la alerta a
viajeros, laACLU ha puesto a disposición del público materiales en
inglés y español acercade los derechos individuales en caso de que las
autoridades de Arizona y deotros estados los intercepten con motivo de
la Ley SB 1070, o cualquier otromotivo. Los materiales incluyen una
tarjeta que se puede descargar del internety que contiene instrucciones,
aplicables en cualquier estado, acerca de cómoresponder si la policía,
agentes de inmigración o agentes del FBI les piden quedetengan su
vehículo y los interrogan, así como un documento con las preguntasmás
frecuentes acerca de la Ley SB 1070.
“Nuestro objetivo es
proteger a losresidentes del estado de Kentucky del acoso ilegal por
parte de los cuerpospoliciacos y asegurarnos de que conozcan sus
derechos en caso de toparse conéste,” afirmaAldrige.
“Unaalta proporción de nuestros residentes tienen las características
raciales quela policía sin duda para detener a viajeros en Arizona. Lamentablementevemos
que en general los residents de Kentucky no están seguros
de cuales son sus derechos en el momento que soninterrogados por los
policías y comoparte de nuestro esfuerzo educacional
agradecemos esta oportunidad para proveerinformación.”
La ACLU y otras de
lasorganizaciones de derechos civiles más destacadas entablaron una demandaimpugnando
la ley de Arizona en mayo, pero mientras no se anule la ley, la
ACLUadvierte que los individuos que viajen a Arizona deben estar
conscientes de susderechos en caso de que los intercepten ahí.
Se pueden consultar
materiales con informaciónacerca de los derechos individuales en caso de
que los intercepten miembros delas fuerzas del orden público en: http://www.aclu.org
After recent legislative sessions targeting and attacking
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Kentuckians through anti-Fairness laws,
the 2010 Kentucky legislature saw unprecedented progress for Fairness in the
commonwealth.
No Anti-Fairness Legislation Filed
For the first time in years,
no legislator in the Kentucky Senate or House filed legislation targeting the
rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Kentuckians. Just last year,
Shelbyville Senator Gary Tapp introduced Senate Bill 68, which would have
barred any unmarried cohabitating couples from fostering or adopting children
in the commonwealth. Fairness advocates rallied to quickly defeat that
legislation with strong support from foster and adoption agencies, social
workers, and faith-based groups across the state.
Last week similar
legislation in Arkansas was struck down as unconstitutional. The Judge in the
case reiterated the main point the Kentucky Statewide Fairness Coalition and
its supporters made in the spring of 2009, that such legislation does not “serve
the State’s interest in determining what is in the best interest of the child.”
Pro-Adoption Bill Heard in House
In response to last year’s
failed anti-adoption measure, Rep. Tom Burch of Louisville this year introduced
dual parent adoption House Bill 195, which would allow unmarried partners the
legal ability to become parents of the children for whom they care.
Family court attorney and
gay adoptive father Bryan Gatewood offered expert testimony to the House Health
and Welfare Committee on the need for such a law in a March 11 hearing on the
bill. He cited the loss of children’s rights to receive many of the benefits
legally adopted children enjoy, such as the right to Social Security benefits
upon the death of a parent, the right to be covered by both parents’ insurance,
the right to receive child support and more. Toni Joyce, Executive Director of
the National Association of Social Workers, reinforced Mr. Gatewood’s testimony
with a personal plea for the children who this type of legal disenfranchisement
affects, and both then fielded positive questions from legislators.
Mr. Gatewood and Ms. Joyce
both requested Committee Chair Burch hold additional informational hearings
during the interim committee meetings of the summer.
Record Number of Cosponsors on Statewide Fairness Bill
A record number of
legislators signed on to Rep. Mary Lou Marzian’s statewide anti-discrimination
Fairness House Bill 117, this year adding Rep. Arnold Simpson of Covington.
Sen. Kathy Stein once more proposed a companion piece of legislation, Senate
Bill 138.
The law would amend the
Kentucky Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity as
protected classifications, prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing
and public accommodations in the commonwealth, a move unanimously endorsed by
the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights in a 2008 Resolution sent to the
Governor. It would make Kentucky the 21st state to extend such protections, and
the first in the South. Currently only Covington, Lexington and Louisville have
legal protections in Kentucky.
Hospital Visitation Rights Measure Passes House
Unanimously
For the second year, Rep.
Mary Lou Marzian’s hospital visitation rights House Bill 118, passed out of the
Health and Welfare Committee with bi-partisan support. This session, the bill
was approved unanimously on the House floor with a 99-0 vote.
The law would “allow a
patient of a health facility who is 18 years of age or older to designate, in
writing, an individual not legally related by marriage or blood, who the
patient wishes to have visitation rights.” It is identical to the protections
President Barack Obama called on the US Department of Health and Human Services
to enact in an executive memorandum last Thursday, April 15.
Sponsors and cosponsors of
2010 Fairness legislation in Kentucky: Sen. Denise Harper Angel, Sen. Gerald
Neal, Sen. Tim Shaughnessy, Sen. Kathy Stein, Rep. Tom Burch, Rep. Kelly Flood,
Rep. Joni Jenkins, Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, Rep. Reggie Meeks, Rep. Darryl Owens,
Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo, Rep. Arnold Simpson, Rep. Jim Wayne and Rep. Susan
Westrom.
The RFP is very pleased to be able to give you great news.
No new anti-choice restrictions passed in this year’s General Assembly!
Despite anti-choice legislators dirty tactics, we were able to defeat several pieces of legislation.
The first piece of legislation was Senate Bill 38. SB 38 would have forced a woman to travel to an abortion clinic at least 24 hours prior to obtaining an abortion, which in effect would have doubled many women’s travel and child care costs. The bill also would have forced a woman to listen to the results of an ultrasound even if she didn’t want to hear those results. In trying to pass this legislation, anti-choice Representatives Floyd, Fischer, and Moore attached the bill as an amendment to several pieces of legislation. By attaching these bills, these legislators killed bills that ranged from tracking child abuse deaths to helping at risk youth. Thankfully pro-choice legislators were able to stop SB 38.
We owe a huge amount of gratitude to Representatives Burch, Marzian, Jenkins, Palumbo, Owens, Westrom, and Watkins for voting against SB 38 in the Health and Welfare Committee. We also need to thank Senators, Stein, Harper-Angel, Shaughnessy, and Pendleton for being the only Senators to vote against SB 38. Please consider sending them a thank you note!
We also defeated two bills that sought to punish pregnant women addicted to drugs and alcohol. According to House Bills 136 and 430, if a pregnant woman ingested drugs or alcohol prior to giving birth she would be charged with Wanton Child Endangerment. Thankfully we were able to defeat this legislation.
Thank you for all the calls, emails, and letters you sent to legislators during this session. We wouldn’t have been able to defeat this legislation without your help!
