As Naperville-area women celebrated the first victory in their quest to get Illinois ratification of the federal Equal Rights Amendment, they didn’t lose sight of the work still needed if passage is to be secured.The Illinois Senate voted 43-12 Wednesday to ratify the amendment to guarantee in the U.S. Constitution that rights can’t be denied because of a person’s sex. The measure passed with no debate.“I haven’t touched the ground,” Naperville resident Beverly George said of the Wednesday vote.The founder of Act Connect Engage, George lobbied for the passage of the amendment at the state Capitol on Tuesday with members of the League of Women Voters Naperville, the Naperville chapter of the American Association of University Women and the Will County chapter of the National Organization for Women.George was happy her senator, Michael Connelly, voted in favor of the measure. The contingent from Naperville spoke to Republican from Lisle to encourage … [Read more...] about Naperville-area women say work still needed for Illinois passage of Equal Rights Amendment
Illinois
Illinois Senate plan would include LGBTQ history in schools
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois senators advanced a plan requiring public schools to teach a unit on the role and societal contributions of gays, lesbians and other LGBTQ individuals. The Senate Education committee endorsed the measure 8-2 Tuesday. If enacted, Illinois would become just the second state to approve an LGBTQ inclusive curriculum. “People learn about Jane Addams, for example, but don’t know she’s a lesbian,” said Brian Johnson, CEO of the LGBTQ organization Equality Illinois. “We don’t think there is true justice for the LGBTQ community unless we can learn about our history.” The proposal requires all elementary and high schools to teach a unit studying “the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State.” “People need to see their history to understand that they are a part of our society,” said Sen. Heather Steans, the … [Read more...] about Illinois Senate plan would include LGBTQ history in schools
Gay therapy ban passes Illinois House committee
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gay conversion therapy opponents say the treatment causes harm to teenagers struggling with their sexuality and should be banned in Illinois. Supporters of the treatment say certain methods work and are helpful when they are backed by proven techniques. The legislation sponsored by Chicago Democrat Rep. Kelly Cassidy would prevent mental health providers from using therapy with a goal of changing the sexual orientation of anyone under the age of 18. A similar measure has been introduced in the Illinois Senate. … [Read more...] about Gay therapy ban passes Illinois House committee
Southern Illinois University faces criminal investigation for professor’s hotel room, offshore herpes vaccine experiments
The unauthorized testing of a herpes vaccine by a Southern Illinois University professor has come under federal criminal investigation, Kaiser Health News reports.In a rare move, the Food and Drug Administration is looking into the research of associate professor William Halford and several SIU colleagues for possible violations of human test subject rules, according to the news organization's investigation. Halford injected people with unapproved herpes vaccines in Springfield hotel rooms and conducted a herpes vaccine trial on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, skirting U.S. laws on medical research. Herpes vaccine developed at SIU creates stir for testing outside U.S.The biology professor, 48, died of cancer last June after spending his career trying to develop a herpes vaccine. He was an associate professor at the Springfield campus. SIU ended all its herpes research projects earlier this year. The university's ethics panel launched an investigation last month into … [Read more...] about Southern Illinois University faces criminal investigation for professor’s hotel room, offshore herpes vaccine experiments
One man from Michigan is killed, another injured in Illinois crash
A man was killed Wednesday when a van he was riding in struck a semitrailer parked on the northbound shoulder of I-57 in Marion County, Ill. near Salem.Shane Michael Donegan, 20, of Warren, Mich. was pronounced dead at the scene just after 9 p.m. The driver of the van, Jesse Lee Meacham, 22, also of Warren, Mich. was taken to St. Louis University Hospital by a medical helicopter, according to Illinois State Police.The driver of the semitrailer was not injured in the crash. … [Read more...] about One man from Michigan is killed, another injured in Illinois crash