Penna Dexter

Prominent abortion-rights advocate, Cecille Richards, recently stepped down from the helm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Having served as the organization's president for 12 years, she's now pouring herself into electoral politics, especially the midterm elections. Ms. Richards solidified Planned Parenthood's role as a political powerhouse. This year Planned Parenthood's political action sub-groups are conducting their biggest-ever push to elect abortion-rights supporters in Congress and in key states. The American Civil Liberties Union, which recently honored Richards with a lifetime achievement award, is also officially getting into politics. The organization's move away from political neutrality to left-leaning advocacy is no secret. But the ACLU announced this spring that, for the first time in its history, it will involve itself in partisan electoral politics, lending its support to candidates as well as referenda and legislation that advance progressive goals. A New Yorker piece, titled "The ACLU is getting involved in elections — and reinventing itself for the Trump era," describes the ACLU during the 100 years of its existence as "fastidiously nonpartisan." Trump-hatred has motivated some of the ACLU's largest contributors to give more. But they are demanding that the organization play a leading role in ending Trump's presidency. Harvard Law Professor, Alan Dershowitz once served on the ACLU's national board. The danger, he writes, is that "when the ACLU supports parties and partisan agendas, it will become less willing to criticize those it has supported when they violate civil liberties." It's been a long time since the ACLU could be relied on as what Mr. Dershowitz calls "a neutral defender of everyone's civil liberties." In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, a more recent ACLU board member, Wendy Kaminer, wrote that"free-speech advocates know that the ACLU has already lost its zeal for vigorously defending the speech it hates." "Today," writes Alan Dershowitz, "the ACLU wears only one shoe, and it is on its left foot. Its color is blue."