House and Senate pass civil union bill
Gov. Pat Quinn has pledged his signature to the new civil union bill that passed Tuesday night for Illinois.
The Illinois House passed the bill by a vote of 61-52. The following afternoon, the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 32-24.
Democrats control both chambers.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn had urged the legislature to pass the bill during the lame-duck session and he even appeared on the House and Senate floor during debate to show his support. He has not said when he will sign the bill. ?
Ryan Plunkett, the president of the Eastern College Democrats said he was happy to see that the bill passed with such large margins and that this is only the start for other states to follow Illinois’ lead.
“Illinois is on the right side of history and this is a big first step in the right direction,” Plunkett said.
Illinois will become the 11th state to legalize either civil unions or domestic partnerships, where the bill says that two people who have entered into a civil union are entitled to the same legal treatment under Illinois law that is presently given to spouses, except same last names.
Plunkett said like the civil rights movement, Americans will look back during this time and say, “why didn’t we do that in the first place.”
Some of these benefits include receiving equal visitation privileges in hospitals, and being allowed to make medical decisions and sharing nursing home rooms.
Other benefits include protecting gay and lesbian couples that have entered into a civil union from having to testify against each other in state courts, and giving a surviving partner the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit. If a person has a pension, a same-sex partner in a civil union will be entitled to a survivor pension benefit.
Benjamin Pearcy, a senior communication studies and Spanish major, said that as a gay man this bill is a step towards equality, although it still does not allow same-sex marriage.
“The words separate but equal continually pop into my head when I think about it,” said Pearcy. “I do not want to be separate, gay men and women deserve the option to marry.”
Pearcy said this will lead to indirectly affecting the way all minority groups are treated and represented in the future.
“This isn’t only concerning homosexuals. The fact that, as a culture, we have yet to fully accept each other for our differences has impeded on our ability to progress into a society that is aware we are all the same despite them,” said Pearcy.
Civil union also applies to opposite-sex couples, which for whatever reason do not want to get married.
Once signed, the bill will go into effect in July.
Allison Twaits can be reached
at 581-2812
