Lightfoot signs executive order on abortion rights
In 1985, then-Mayor Harold Washington issued an executive order prohibiting city employees from enforcing federal immigration laws to protest the federal government's decision to conduct random searches of city records to find and prosecute undocumented immigrants.
On Thursday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot followed a similar trail - this time, to prevent the landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade from ushering in an era of investigation and prosecution.
Lightfoot signed an executive order prohibiting the Chicago Police Department - or any other city government agency - from collaborating to criminalize women who come to Chicago seeking abortions banned in their home states or medical providers and others who assist them.
The order will remain in place until September, when the Chicago City Council is expected to approve a more sweeping ordinance championed by Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd) and her progressive colleagues.