Civil Rights current events

Deslatte, M. (2010, February 11). State budget cuts would violate civil rights of man with disabilities, lawsuit says. Louisiana Politics & Government: Latest Political & State Legislature News, Blogs and Articles. Retrieved February 14, 2010 from http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/02/state_budget_cut_proposal_lead.ht...

Topic-Civil Rights- The 13th and 14th amendments protect our civil rights. The thirteenth amendment protects us from being involuntarily enslaved. The fourteenth amendment protects our rights to liberty, life, property, and equal citizenship.

Summary:

Who: Bryan Stein and the Department of Health and Hospitals of Louisiana are the main people in this article, with references to Robert and Melanie Stein.

What: Robert and Melanie Stein are suing the Department of Health and Hospitals in Louisiana on behalf of their 38 year-old son Bryan Stein. They are requesting that medical care continues as it is currently given using the New Opportunities Waver that is subject to budget cuts.

Where: The law suit was filed in the Baton Rouge federal court in Louisiana.

When: The lawsuit was filed Tuesday, February 9, 2010.

Why: The lawsuit was filed because Bryan and his parents thought that the cut in funding will lead to the loss of Bryan’s civil rights. Without the funding program, Bryan will be forced to return to an institution where he was abused and continually injured. This lawsuit is important because it will give states the ability to say what kind of care a patient can receive.

My reaction: This is a possible violation of Bryan’s right to life and liberty, and possibly equal citizenship if expressed the right way in court. I do not see how this can be anything other than an infringement up on his civil rights and his freedom. Without funding, he is going into an institution. On the other hand, I can understanding the cut in funding if Bryan is housebound anyway. What freedoms does he actually have? This article makes me glad that I’m not going into politics but instead studying math!