News & Commentary

Brittany Maynard--a 29 year old woman who was recently diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor--has chosen to move to a state where she will have access to medication that will allow her to end her life on her own terms. The so-called "right to die" movement is slowly gaining traction around the country. Oregon, which is where Maynard relocated with her family, is one of five states that allow people with terminal illnesses access to life-ending medications in order to avoid suffering until their final breath.

The debate over the NFL’s botched handling of Ray Rice’s brutal assault on his now wife threatens to divert our nation’s attention from the real issue: the need to treat seriously incidents of domestic violence and to enact laws and policies that aid survivors in their attempts to escape violence. Time and again, those who suffer intimate partner violence are victimized – not only by the partner who abuses them but by society at large.  Sadly, our laws often are complicit in this victimization.

As police departments nationwide, including the Chicago Police Department, move swiftly to adopt body cameras to record interactions between officers and civilians, we should pause. It would be unwise to deploy this new technology without instituting some basic privacy protections for the man on the street.

In approximately 40 days, Illinois voters will go to the polls. There are many highly-contested races across the State, with many issues driving those races. On that same ballot, you and other voters will have an opportunity to speak out on a matter that the ACLU of Illinois cares about deeply -- unfettered access to birth control.

The State of Illinois has reached -- and passed -- a tipping point and must act now to reduce the number of persons incarcerated in our prisons, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. In testimony prepared for a hearing today of the legislature's Joint Criminal Justice Reform Committee, the ACLU will tell the Committee that Illinois is no longer able to "provide the adequate, constitutionally-mandated level of care for those adults and juveniles who are incarcerated in the State."   The ACLU of Illinois is currently involved in litigation challenging conditions of confinement in all the State's juvenile justice facilities as well as a separate case that points out the flaws in the healthcare system operated within the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Progress Illinois posted an article about the ACLU of Illinois' recommended guidelines on the use of body cameras by law enforcement in Illinois. In the wake of the events in Ferguson, Missouri and the police shooting death of an unarmed teenager, law enforcement agencies across the country have expressed interest in the use of body cameras to encourage transparency and accountability in the oversight of police forces. The guidelines, released last week, outline numerous privacy concerns that need to be weighed before any implementation can begin. Yohnka stated:

The Chicago Tribune has published an article today exploring the Right to Die movement, which is gaining momentum throughout the country. On Wednesday, Chicago will play host to a sold-out convention that will discuss the topic of assisted dying. Oregon, Montana, Vermont and Washington are the only states that have laws allowing people access to life-ending medications. Oregon's Death with Dignity Act requires citizens to meet certain specific criteria in order to be given access to medications that induce sleep, and then within hours, death. The Tribune spoke with ACLU of Illinois' Khadine Bennett:

The Chicago Tribune published an article about the possibility of Chicago Police wearing body cameras as a way to decrease police misconduct in the wake of the events in Ferguson, Missouri. As a result of the growing concern of police brutality throughout the country, body cameras have been considered as a potential solution by creating more oversight and transparency of law enforcement at large. However, the ACLU has suggested some basic privacy guidelines for their use that would address: notice to civilians; when to record; retention of images; and, disclosure of images. The Tribune spoke with ACLU of Illinois Communications and Public Policy Director Ed Yohnka:

Once again, the Chicago Tribune reports that the number of child abuse and neglect related deaths in Chicago continues to be high, only this time, the numbers may actually be the highest they have ever been. For decades, the ACLU of Illinois has monitored the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) as a result of a consent decree aimed to improve the care and services for children in its custody. The consent decree outlined a limit to the number of cases a DCFS social worker can have, so that they are able to fully accommodate new child abuse and neglect cases. DCFS states that the new numbers may not be accurate due to the efficacy of their data collection process. The Chicago Tribune spoke with ACLU of Illinois' Ben Wolf: