Evanston police look to restrict abortion investigations
The Evanston Police Department is looking to provide enhanced reproductive health protections by vowing to restrict outside agencies from investigating reproductive health issues within EPD’s jurisdiction, Commander Ryan Glew told City Council on March 27.
Glew said the department is still crafting its official policy with a thorough review from the state’s attorney’s office and Evanston’s legal team to ensure the policy can fulfill its purpose without accidentally creating loopholes impacting other investigations, such as human trafficking cases.
Despite the policy being in the works, Glew said EPD will operate as if it is already in place.
“Even with the policy pending, the department is not compelled … to investigate what somebody is doing here in regard to their reproductive health,” Glew said. “I think it’s important for people to understand that even with the policy pending, we can have confidence the department is going to act in line with the proposed resolution.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed an executive order last July prohibiting Chicago agencies, including the Chicago Police Department, from assisting out-of-state law enforcement in investigating people who travel to Chicago for abortions.
Illinois’ neighboring states of Wisconsin, Missouri and Kentucky currently have strict laws restricting abortions. Evanston is less than 40 miles from the Wisconsin border. Fourteen states currently have strict abortion policies with more in the works across the country.
Glew’s announcement comes as City Council was receiving a progress report on an approved Aug. 8 resolution, proposed by 9th Ward Councilmember Juan Geracaris, directing staff to outline practices to protect reproductive rights in Evanston after the United States Supreme Court determined the right to an abortion isn’t constitutionally protected.
“One of the things I found important when putting this (Aug. 8) resolution forward was guaranteeing the safety of students who are here from out-of-state and providing a sanctuary for them,” Geracaris said.
The ruling, referred to as the Dobbs decision, served as a catalyst for legislation looking to protect not only reproductive rights but other rights currently protected by Supreme Court precedents, such as same-sex marriage with the Respect for Marriage Act now requiring all states to recognize samesex marriages without relying on the Obergefell versus Hodges ruling.
When the Evanston City Council passed the August resolution directing staff to outline practices to ensure reproductive rights, it assigned the task to five departments — 311 Hotline, Human Resources, Purchasing, EPD and Health and Human Services.
Health and Human Services and 311 have been “checked off,” according to Policy Coordinator Alison Leipsiger. The departments created a page on the city’s website outlining reproductive health resources and a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) protected form for residents with further questions.
Human Resources and
EPD’s official action plan is in progress, Leipsiger said, and more information is expected to come forth in approximately two months. She said the delay is due to recent staff changes in these departments. Evanston will continue exploring reproductive rights policies with the suggested EPD investigation resolution still pending City Council action.
“We are in a different world after the Dobbs decision was rendered,” Mayor Daniel Biss said. “It obligates us to think about our responsibilities in another way and it isn’t necessarily easy, but it’s important.”