The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) voted on June 23 to support civil unions.
Civil unions, as the organization recognizes them, would grant couples who do not or cannot wed the same rights, responsibilities and benefits that married couples enjoy. The ISBA voted to back Illinois House Bill 1826, which states that civil unions may include same-sex or opposite-sex couples, and that persons who enter into said unions must be at least 18 years old.
The 32,000-member ISBA, with offices in Springfield and Chicago, provides professional services to Illinois attorneys, and education and services to the public. The vote was taken during the group’s 131st annual meeting.