News & Commentary

We are disappointed by a recent decision of the U.S. District Court that blocks some of the critical patient protections the General Assembly recently incorporated into the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act. The amendment at issue ensures that when patients in Illinois go to their health

Learn about what's happening across the most pressing civil liberties issues of our time, and what you can do.

It was another busy summer in Springfield this session. With the budget impasse looming, our legislative efforts at times felt insurmountable. Luckily, to the benefit of our great state and all of its residents, we were able to advance critical measures that set new precedents for civil liberties and human rights in Illinois. Here is a brief roundup of some of the bills we worked on, and the progress we made:

Having a child should be a cause for celebration, not outrage. But when my husband and I were welcoming our second child into the world three years ago, we learned firsthand how the pervasive nature of religiously controlled medical services can affect us all.We thought our local Catholic

Today, Governor Rauner signed SB 1547 into law. This new law bars cities and towns from punishing landlords and tenants based on calls for police assistance in response to incidents of domestic and sexual violence or on behalf of a person with disabilities.

State Representative Peter Breen has filed legislation that would change the law that allows individuals to donate their bodies to science after they die to exempt the donation of fetal tissue, the Daily Herald reports. The measure comes in light of the attacks from anti-abortion activists against Planned Parenthood regarding the videos released that show Planned Parenthood officials discussing fetal tissue donation. The Daily Herald spoke with the director of the ACLU of Illinois' Reproductive Rights Project, Lorie Chaiten:

I was six months pregnant when I moved from California to Illinois last fall. I was already a licensed attorney in California, but I needed to take the Illinois bar exam in order to continue practicing law. I signed up for the February bar exam, scheduled only nine weeks after my due date. I knew I could do it with the support of my husband and my family.I also planned to exclusivel

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 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.