News & Commentary

Current Illinois law allows doctors, nurses and other health care providers to deny care and even information to their patients if the providers feels doing so goes against their personal religious beliefs. The State Journal-Register spoke with Angela Valavanis, who has been affected by this law when she was denied a tubal ligation during a c-section operation because she was at a Catholic hospital. The ACLU of Illinois is advocating for the passage of a bill - Senate Bill 1564 - currently before the Illinois House that would amend the law so that health care providers must make sure their patients are given full information about their options. The State Journal-Register also spoke with ACLU of Illinois Executive Director Colleen Connell:

The ACLU of Illinois' work to improve conditions for foster children under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is highlighted in an article from the Associated Press (via the Rockford Register Star). Last week, a report was released outlining necessary improvements to be accomplished by the department in order to remain compliant under a decades-long consent decree overseen by the ACLU of Illinois. The article quotes ACLU of Illinois Associate Legal Director Ben Wolf:

As the public responds to the dashcam video documenting the traffic stop and arrest of Sandra Bland, an Illinois native who subsequently died in a jail cell three days later, many questions about the stop have been raised. The ACLU of Illinois has studied traffic stop data over the years and has found there to be significant racial disparities in the traffic stops and searches by police in Illinois. The Southern Illinoisan published an article about the Sandra Bland case and spoke with ACLU of Illinois Communications and Public Policy Director Ed Yohnka:

The State Journal-Register ran an editorial endorsing Senate Bill 1564 which aims to amend Illinois' Health Care Right of Conscience Act. The Act, which reflects current Illinois law, harms patients by allowing doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to refuse to give a patient care and even information that conflicts with the provider’s religious beliefs. The ACLU of Illinois continues to advocate for the bill's passage. The bill is currently awaiting a vote in the Illinois House.

As Illinois entered the new fiscal year without an approved budget, our State’s most vulnerable residents faced cataclysmic cuts in state services.Here at the ACLU, we were especially concerned that our clients in four federal court lawsu

Earlier this morning, U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Alonso approved an order mandating the State of Illinois to continue to fund programs, services, and personnel within the Department of Children and Family Services during the current budget impasse. The order enforces the requirements of a consent decree overseen by the ACLU of Illinois, which requires the State to provide constitutionally-required services to the children under the care of DCFS. The State joined the ACLU in seeking the order approved by Judge Alonso this morning.

The Youth Project wrote about the impact of the state of Illinois' budget crisis on services for foster children under the care of the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS). As Governor Bruce Rauner and Illinois legislators continue to argue over the state's fiscal health, funds for DCFS children face dire straits. For decades, the ACLU of Illinois has monitored DCFS under a consent decree designed to protect the safety and wellbeing of children under the agency's care. The Youth Project spoke with the ACLU of Illinois' associate legal director Ben Wolf about the lack of oversight in addressing problems within the agency:

With the Supreme Court's ruling that struck down bans on same-sex marriages throughout the country, advocates throughout Illinois celebrated, despite having won the freedom to marry statewide last year. The Chicago Tribune spoke with the ACLU of Illinois' LGBT and HIV Project Director John Knight about what the ruling means for same-sex couples in Illinois:

Adam Schwartz was interviewed about fusion centers for Reason TV. Fusion centers are state or local law enforcement agencies that gather and store information about people suspected of criminal activity, and share that information with other law enforcement and intelligence agencies.  In 2012, the ACLU of Illinois released a report on "Fusion Centers in Illinois" which found that the two fusion centers operating in Illinois at the time lacked some critical safeguards to protect the privacy of Illinois residents. Watch the segment below: