Ira Dym and Ryan Endress wear commitment rings, and plan to get a civil union license once Gov. Pat Quinn signs a pending bill into law. (Credit: CBS)
CHICAGO (WBBM) – The head of the Illinois American Civil Liberties Union says she expects few problems as Counties prepare to issue certificates for couples seeking civil unions.
As WBBM Newsradio 780 Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, the new law allowing civil unions between same-sex couples takes effect in June.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780 Political Editor Craig Dellimore Reports.
Illinois ACLU executive director Colleen Connell expects county officials to need some guidance in complying, but not much.
“County clerks in all 102 counties have been issuing marriage licenses for more than a century, and I think that if our experience in other states that have civil unions like Oregon and New Jersey are any example, having a form that recognizes a union between two women is a very small change,” Connell said.
The civil unions provision gives same-sex couples all 648 legal benefits of marriage. These include the right to visit a sick partner in the hospital and make decisions about their medical care, and property inheritance rights. But the bill does not recognize same-sex marriage.
The bill passed the state House on Nov. 30, and went on to pass the state Senate the following day, after 90 minutes of impassioned debate.
Connell is WBBM Newsradio 780’s guest on “At Issue” this weekend. You can hear more of her comments Sunday at 9:30 p.m.
