ACLU-Nebraska: Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is the federal court that controls Nebraska, and that court recently ruled that a woman's right to choose an abortion exists even when she's incarcerated.  This summer, ACLU Nebraska wrote a letter to the Nebraska Department of Corrections to ensure they were aware of the law, and we have written every single county jail to put them on notice too.  If you know a prisoner--whether she's serving a sentence or is a pre-trial detainee--make she sure knows she has the right to choose.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that abortions are "elective procedures" unless a doctor says it's medically necessary, and that means that the prison or jail can require the woman to pay for it.  The government doesn't have to pay for the medical care, but they do have to transport the woman to medical appointments.  Contact ACLU Nebraska if you have questions about this right.