[1] Why do you defend Nazis and the Klan?

The ACLUs client is the Bill of Rights, not any particular person or group. When the government infringes on the basic rights of citizens, the ACLU is there. We do not believe that you can pick and choose when to uphold rights. If a right can be taken away from one person, it can be taken away from anyone. When you deny a right to someone with whom you disagree, you pave the way for that right to be denied to yourself or someone you strongly support. For example, the principle by which the Ku Klux Klan has the right to march is the same one that allows civil rights activists to march against racism. While the ACLU condemns all forms of racism. we defend the right of racists to speak their minds as the only means of preserving your right to speak your mind.


[2] You're all a bunch of liberals, aren't you?

The ACLU is a nonpartisan group. We have defended people all across the political spectrum, from the Moral Majority and Oliver North to John Scopes and communists. The ACLU strongly supports women's right to choose abortion, yet we have also assisted anti-abortion activists when police used excessive force while arresting them. The ACLU has won support from women's groups for our stand on women's rights, but has angered some feminists for our First Amendment stand on pornography.



[3] Why does the ACLU support pornography? Why are you in favor of child porn?

The ACLU does not support pornography. But we do oppose virtually all forms of censorship. Possessing books or films should not make one a criminal. Once society starts censoring "bad" ideas, it becomes very difficult to draw the line. Your idea of what is offensive may be a lot different from your neighbors. The ACLU takes a very purist approach in opposing censorship. Our policy is that possessing pornographic material should not itself be a crime. The best way to combat child pornography is for the government to prosecute those who exploit children by making pornography and we strongly agree with the enforcement of such prosecutions.



[4] Why doesn't the ACLU support gun ownership/gun control?

In practice, the ACLU neither advocates nor opposes proposed gun control legislation; we don't get involved. The Second Amendment talks of guns in regard to militias "needing guns to provide security but makes no reference to individual ownership of guns. The ACLU agrees with the U.S. Supreme Court interpretation that there is no unrestricted right for individuals to own guns under the federal Constitution. Therefore, the government does have the right to regulate private gun ownership. Our policy on gun control, like all ACLU policies, was set by the Board of Directors, who are a group of ACLU members. the U.S. Supreme Court interpretation that there is no unrestricted right for individuals to own guns under the federal Constitution. Therefore, the government does have the right to regulate private gun ownership. Our policy on gun control, like all ACLU policies, was set by the Board of Directors, who are a group of ACLU members.



[5] Why does the ACLU support the rights of criminals but not victims of crime?

The ACLU supports everybody's rights. Citizens are outraged by crime and understandably want criminals caught and prosecuted. Regardless of our concerns about crime victims, the ACLU believes that the rights to fair treatment and due process must be respected for people accused of crimes. Respecting these rights does not cause crime, nor does it hinder police from pursuing criminals. It should, and does in fact, cause police to avoid sloppy procedures.



[6] Why is the ACLU against God/Christianity/the Bible?

The ACLU strongly supports our country's guarantee that all people have the right to practice their own religion, as well as the right not to practice any religion. The best way to ensure religious freedom for all is to make sure that the government maintains a position of neutrality when it comes to religion. The ACLU strongly supports religious freedom and the separation of church and state so that people may practice their religion -- just not with government funding or sponsorship. This simple principle in no way banishes or weakens religion. It only means that people shouldn't have a particular religion forced on them, even if most other people in a community support that religion.



[7] Why is the ACLU against drug testing of employees?

The ACLU believes that employers have the right to discipline and fire workers who fail to perform on the job. However, the ACLU does oppose indiscriminate drug testing because the process is unfair, unnecessary and violates privacy rights. Further, drug tests do not measure impaired job performance. A positive drug test simply indicates that a person may have taken drugs at some time in the past--not that they are failing to perform properly in their assigned work. And the accuracy of some drug tests is notoriously unreliable.



[8] Why does the ACLU help rapists and child molesters?

Of course, the ACLU supports the prosecution and conviction of rapists and child molesters. They should receive appropriated punishment, especially for repeat offenders. But, like all convicted felons, they are entitled to some basic constitutional protections. In this regard the ACLU opposes sex offender notification and civil commitment laws, which punish offenders long-after they have completed their sentences. If our sentencing laws concerning sex offenders need revision, then that should be explored, but punishing people after they have served their debt to society is unconstitutional and bad public policy.



[9] Why doesn't the ACLU want patients to know whether their doctor or dentist has AIDS?

The ACLU supports increased AIDS treatment programs and education about AIDS. In the case of doctors and dentists'. the ACLU supports rigorous standards for disease control in handling medical equipment. That is what prevents the spread of AIDS. The ACLU opposes forced testing of people for AIDS as unnecessary, wasteful of scarce resources, and of extremely limited public health value. Force testing of doctors and dentists for AIDS will be used to discriminate against FHV-positive doctors and dentists. It feeds public hysteria about the disease without working to halt its spread.



[10] Does the ACLU support campaign finance reform?

Yes, the ACLU supports the idea of providing public financing to assist candidates running for I office. The ACLU believes that providing all candidates with adequate funding to advertise on television, mail information, and travel, will create a more equitable political system. However, the ACLU opposes the idea of putting contribution and spending limits on citizens and candidates because doing so would limit free speech rights.