Browse Equal Rights Articles

Hospital Visitation & Decision-Making Rights for More Americans

An April 2010 decree from President Obama states that hospitals must allow designated loved ones access to a patient even if they aren’t related by blood or marriage. The decree was prompted by a hospital denying Janice Langbehn the right to see Lisa Pond, her long-time partner, before Pond’s death. The decree is viewed as a win for gay rights. more...

Bilal Kaiser - Aug 2010 - Living Wills
Conjugal Visits: Preserving family bonds behind bars

Most of us assume that prison life precludes any private contact between inmates and their significant others. After all, that's one of the penalties of going to prison. But then what about conjugal visits? Do they still exist? And who is entitled to them? more...

Patrick Rodgers - Sep 2008 - Marriage & Domestic Partnership
The Right to Refuse Service: Can a Business Refuse Service to Someone Because of Appearance, Odor or Attitude?

Is it a violation of your civil rights for a business to refuse to serve you because of the way you look, the way you smell, or the way you act? The answer is . . . it depends. more...

Leanne Phillips - Oct 2007 - Equal Rights
What does HIPAA mean for your privacy?

You may have seen news stories in which a camera pans over a dumpster overflowing with unshredded medical charts. News anchors follow-up and interview patients, bringing them the very file discovered amid the trash. Hearing such horror stories is grounds for worry about the safety of your own health information. Here's how HIPAA can and does protect you. more...

Ellen Feig - Oct 2007 - Equal Rights
Attention All Renters: Do You Know Your Rights?

Renter rights can vary depending on where you live. But, usually housing laws cover everything from the physical property to the terms of the rental arrangement. But that's not all you need to know. more...

Ann MacDonald - Jul 2005 - Home & Leisure
Husbands taking their wives' last names: Why does the law discriminate?

When California man, Michael Buday, promised to take his fiancee's last name when they got married, he didn't envision the legal battle in his future. Buday wanted to honor his wife by changing his last name to hers. However, he quickly discovered that it is more difficult for a man to take his wife's name than the other way around. more...

Ann MacDonald - Family Law Basics
Universities Come Down Hard on Troubled Students

When a student is suicidal, what should the university do? Or, more precisely, what is the university's legal duty, if any? These are questions that many universities are struggling to answer. Although many schools provide adequate counseling services, an increasing number of schools are resorting to banning students who have attempted suicide or who are suicidal from university housing. more...

Michelle Kaminsky - Privacy
Disabled and in Jail: The Disability Rights of Prisoners

How far reaching is the Americans with Disabilities Act? While it clearly requires public buildings to be accessible, what does that mean for Americans in public buildings like state prisons? The United States Supreme Court set a new precedent for this act, in the case of Goodman v. United States v. Georgia. Through this landmark case, the Court ruled prisoners can sue for monetary damages if they are being discriminated against due to a disability. more...

Ellen Rosner Feig - Equal Rights
Watch Your Language: Can business owners make an English-only policy?

On September 14, 2005, the federal district court in Phoenix, Arizona found that the two married co-owners of Harvest Medical Clinic, Inc., Henry and Leona Tomlinson, overstepped Arizona's guidelines. In May 2003, the Tomlinsons sent out written notices that workers could only speak English in the clinic to patients and each other. That month, they fired nine Hispanic employees. The Tomlinsons say they fired the employees because they were downsizing. more...

Jessica Zimmer - Equal Rights
Understanding the historical impact of Rosa Parks

Each of us reaches a point in our lives when we make a choice, when we decide to move or not to move. The second we make that decision, we start a journey we just might not have planned. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks made this kind of choice. It not only changed her life, it changed the course of a nation. more...

Monica Sanders - Equal Rights