Politics

ACLU apologizes for altering quote by Justice Ginsburg, removing female pronouns

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The American Civil Liberties Union’s executive director apologized after the nonprofit was criticized for changing a quote from the late women’s rights champion Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to be gender-neutral.

The ACLU had used one of Ginsburg’s famous pro-choice quotes in a Sept. 18 tweet to pay tribute to her on the first anniversary of her death, however they were immediately lambasted for replacing her use of the words “woman,” “she” and “her.”

ACLU’s executive director Anthony Romero told the New York Times Monday he regretted the tweet and blamed it on the organization’s digital team. “We won’t be altering people’s quotes,” he said. “It was a mistake among the digital team. Changing quotes is not something we ever did.”

“Having spent time with Justice Ginsburg, I would like to believe that if she were alive today, she would encourage us to evolve our language to encompass a broader vision of gender, identity and sexuality,” Romero told the outlet. The nonprofit had changed Ginsburg’s original quote to use “people” and “their” instead of the female pronouns.

“The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a [person’s] life, to [their] well-being and dignity,” the altered quote read. “When the government controls that decision for [people], [they are] being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for [their] own choices.”

Ginsburg’s original quote reads: “The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman’s life, to her well-being and dignity. It is a decision she must make for herself. When government controls that decision for her, she is being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.” At this stage, ACLU have not deleted the original tweet.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: NEWSER

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Paul Murdoch

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

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