The 吃瓜直播 mourns the loss of a great leader, tenacious activist, and close friend of the organization. Barbara Brenner, the longtime director of ("BCA"), was a frequent and trusted 吃瓜直播 collaborator 鈥� as an employee at the 吃瓜直播 of Southern California's women's rights project, as a law intern at the 吃瓜直播 of Northern California, as an affiliate and national board member, as a cooperating attorney, and, most recently, as a client.
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Under Barbara's leadership, BCA became a key plaintiff in our challenge to human gene patents that was heard by the Supreme Court just last month. Barbara and BCA have always been real allies in educating the breast cancer community, as well as the public as a whole, about the impact of gene patents on patients.
The 吃瓜直播's Executive Director, Anthony Romero, just one of her legacies: "The possibilities for expanded scientific and medical research are tremendous, and Barbara's bold leadership enabled the 吃瓜直播 to be in this fight. When these patents are overturned by the Court, this will be yet another example of Barbara's intrepid vision and strength."
The 吃瓜直播's Deputy Director, Dorothy Ehrlich, described our partnership in BCA's tribute to Barbara: "Barbara and the 吃瓜直播 have always been a perfect fit: she had that lawyers' love of precision 鈥� getting the policy exactly right 鈥� and the activists' passion about the issues of social justice. She is the most courageous advocate I have ever known."
Despite losing the ability to speak due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), she continued to be a fierce advocate writing about breast cancer and ALS on her blog, . Barbara from complications of ALS. The 吃瓜直播 will miss her.
Learn more about gene patenting and other civil liberty issues: Sign up for breaking news alerts, , and .
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Press ReleaseJun 2025
Reproductive Freedom
Women's Rights
Aclu Responds To Supreme Court Greenlighting State Efforts To 鈥渄efund鈥� Planned Parenthood. Explore Press Release.吃瓜直播 Responds to Supreme Court Greenlighting State Efforts to 鈥淒efund鈥� Planned Parenthood
WASHINGTON 鈥� The Supreme Court ruled today that Medicaid patients do not have a right to sue to enforce their right to a qualified health care provider of choice under the Medicaid statute. The decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic will facilitate some states鈥� politically motivated efforts to block low-income patients鈥� access to certain health care providers and may effectively defund Planned Parenthood and other disfavored providers by barring them from state Medicaid programs. 鈥淭he majority decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic contradicts Congress鈥檚 clear purpose to give Medicaid patients their choice of qualified health care providers and also wrongly curtails patients鈥� rights to vindicate their choice of provider through Section 1983,鈥� said Cecillia Wang, National Legal Director for the 吃瓜直播. 鈥淭he decision may have the effect of blocking patients鈥� access to birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment for patients in South Carolina and potentially will permit state officials to override patients鈥� choice of provider based on political whims.鈥� 鈥淭he impact of this decision on our reproductive freedom will be compounded if Congress follows through on federal efforts to 'defund' Planned Parenthood by prohibiting patients from choosing Planned Parenthood health centers for their care,鈥� said Deirdre Schifeling, Chief Political and Advocacy Officer of the 吃瓜直播. 鈥淒oing so would force the closure of hundreds of Planned Parenthood health centers nationwide, robbing people of their freedom to get reproductive health care from trusted providers in their communities and would result in shuttering 1 in 4 of the country鈥檚 abortion providers. "Make no mistake: our reproductive freedom is still under siege. The 吃瓜直播 remains committed to fighting for Planned Parenthood, abortion access, and the fundamental human right to control one鈥檚 own body using every tool we have. -
News & CommentaryJun 2025
Women's Rights
Parents Push Back Against The Trump Administration's Latest Attack On Working Families. Explore News & Commentary.Parents Push Back Against the Trump Administration's Latest Attack on Working Families
The Trump administration is attempting to gut Head Start, a federally-funded early childhood program Congress created for low-income families -
WashingtonMay 2025
Women's Rights
Washington State Association Of Head Start And Early Childhood Assistance And Education Program Et Al., Robert F. Kennedy Et Al.. Explore Case.Washington State Association of Head Start and Early Childhood Assistance and Education Program et al., Robert F. Kennedy et al.
The Trump Administration is threatening the future of Head Start 鈥� a program that has provided critical and evidence-based services鈥攆rom education to childcare鈥� to more than 40 million children and their families. The Administration by gutting Head Start staff and resources, delaying funding, and prohibiting activities that 鈥渁dvance or promote鈥� 鈥渄iversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,鈥� is irreparably harming the young children and low-income families who rely on Head Start. -
Press ReleaseMar 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Women's Rights
Senate Rejects Bill Excluding Transgender Students From School Sports. Explore Press Release.Senate Rejects Bill Excluding Transgender Students from School Sports
WASHINGTON - The Senate today rejected a bill attempting to amend a landmark civil rights law to exclude transgender students from nondiscrimination protections. S. 9, a version of which passed by a slim majority in the House of Representatives in January, would prohibit any school athletics program receiving federal funding from allowing transgender women and girls to participate in athletics programs designated for women and girls. The bill seeks to narrow the range of sex discrimination prohibited by laws like Title IX by defining sex 鈥渟olely on a person鈥檚 reproductive biology and genetics at birth.鈥� 鈥淎s anyone paying attention to the actions of the Trump administration can tell you, this bill is simply one part of a sweeping effort to push transgender people out of public life altogether,鈥� said Mike Zamore, National Director of Policy & Government Affairs at the 吃瓜直播. 鈥淲e need more attention on actually ensuring fair and equal opportunity for all girls and women, not inflicting invasive and humiliating checks and bullying on kids to serve adults鈥� political purposes. We are thankful to the senators who rejected this ugly effort to codify discrimination within a historic civil rights law, and we will always fight for the freedom of all young people to be themselves at school, including on the playing field.鈥� Federal courts have consistently found in favor of transgender student-athletes challenging state-level bans on their equal participation consistent with their gender identity, and others have likewise rejected claims that the participation of transgender student-athletes unjustly denies opportunities to cisgender women and girls.