Illinois
Chicago mother joins fight to further protect Illinois IVF law, especially after Alabama decision
CHICAGO (WLS) — Some state lawmakers are pushing to further protect in vitro fertilization in Illinois, especially after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryo, created through IVF, are considered children under state law.
The issue has raised concerns about reproductive rights nationwide.
One Chicago mother is speaking out about her choice to undergo IVF and her legal pursuit to protect reproductive rights for women across the state.
“I got married when I was 34, and started to try to have kids immediately after. It just wasn’t happening,” Stephanie Vojas Taylor said.
In 2019, Vojas Taylor and her husband, Ryan, were ready to start a family.
But her egg count was low.
After trying to conceive without success, she went to a fertility specialist, who suggested intrauterine insemination, or IUI.
The first round resulted in a pregnancy, but Vojas Taylor ultimately miscarried.
“Once I found out that I was going to have to have IVF, we did two more IUI cycles. We did not get pregnant on those, and at that point we decided it was time to move forward,” Vojas Taylor said.
Turning to IVF meant weeks of blood draws, ultrasounds and hormone shots to stimulate egg growth.
Then, mature eggs were retrieved, fertilized with sperm in a lab, and monitored as they developed into embryos.
“With that second cycle, we were able to get a viable egg that turned into a viable embryo,” Vojas Taylor said.
On May 12, 2020, she gave birth to her first son, Maxwell Robert Taylor, a healthy baby boy, weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces.
“I remember just tears of joy streaming down my face. I was so incredibly happy because I was a mom finally,” Vojas Taylor said.
In September of 2021, she gave birth to another baby boy.
This time, no fertility treatment was needed.
SEE MORE: Cheryl Scott’s fertility journey, egg freezing let her take reproductive future into own hands
The Taylor family is now complete, thanks, in part, to IVF.
But Vojas Taylor is not stopping there.
She’s a lawyer and lobbyist in Springfield, where she helped draft portions of the Illinois Reproductive Health Act.
“Illinois is actually the first state in the country that has a law in the books that protects IVF, that protects your decision for what you want to do with your embryos,” Vojas Taylor said.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed that bill into law in 2019.
Last month, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos, created through IVF, should be considered children under state law.
That ruling prompted Pritzker to recommit his stance on protecting reproductive rights in Illinois.
“For families who want to have children, we ought to be helping them access doctors and access the procedures that they need,” Pritzker said.
Illinois’ Reproductive Health Act declares that a fertilized egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent rights.
“People who live in other states who want to have children using IVF, come to Illinois. We’re protecting your rights in so many ways, but specifically regarding IVF,” Pritzker said.
Right now, some state lawmakers are pushing to further protect IVF in Illinois.
That includes expanded health insurance coverage, something Vojas Taylor is also fighting for in Springfield.
After Alabama’s embryo ruling, that state’s governor signed legislation to protect IVF providers from legal liability.
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Millions of asylum seekers have been impacted as caseloads have grown
A general crackdown on immigration courts the administration sees as liberal has led to the firing of dozens of immigration judges.
Recent polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings continue to dip as the war in Iran endures and national gas prices float above $4.
One such poll conducted by CNN/SSRS illustrates widespread upset among Americans with regards to Trump’s handling of the economy and inflation. Here’s how Trump’s approval ratings look nationally and within Illinois, as of April 20.
Donald Trump approval rating: CNN
Only 31% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 39% in January 2026, according to the poll.
The decline in approval on the issue is even higher among Republicans, especially Republicans under 45 years old, according to CNN.
In the poll, President Donald Trump received his worst approval rating yet in either of his two terms on the economy.
CNN findings show about two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, and 27% say they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.
CNN also reported 63% of Americans say the prices at the pump have caused financial hardship in their household, including 15% calling it “severe.”
The poll, conducted March 26-30 among 1,201 U.S. adults, found 35% approve of Trump’s job performance overall. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
One poll respondent told CNN and the pollster about the most important issue facing the country: “Prices! Everything is so expensive. Makes it very difficult to do anything other than work and go home. Trips to the grocery store are ridiculous! Between gas and grocery prices, we are poor!”
Trump addressed the concerns about gas prices in his address to the nation on April 1, saying the Strait of Hormuz would reopen when the conflict was over and the prices would fall again.
Trump reaffirmed his promise about the strait on April 18, saying his administration had “very good conversations going on” with Iran after the country said the strait would not be reopened.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: Civiqs
Trump’s job approval rating in Illinois, as of April 18, according to data from online survey platform Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 32%.
- Disapprove — 65%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump national approval rating: Civiqs
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 13, according to data from Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 39%.
- Disapprove — 57%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: The Economist
Trump has a -36% net approval rating in Illinois as of April 20, according to data from The Economist.
Donald Trump national approval rating: The Economist
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 20, according to data from The Economist, is as follows:
- Approve — 38%.
- Disapprove — 56%.
- Don’t know — 7%.
Trump, Iran War approval rating: Pew Research Center
A Pew Research study conducted in mid-March found that about six-in-ten Americans (61%) approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran, with 39% approving.
A report released in early April found that the largest concern for most Americans as a result of the conflict is higher gas prices, with 69% saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the issue.
Other Trump approval rating polls as of April 20
Here is a look at some other polling aggregators to understand how CNN/SSRS’s poll compares to the average Trump approval numbers as of April 20:
RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 41.2% approve, 56.6% disapprove.
The New York Times: 40% approve, 56% disapprove.
Silver Bulletin: 39.7% approve, 56.4% disapprove.
Which president has the lowest approval rating ever?
Although Trump has dropped to a historic low in approval rating polls this term so far, he hit a 34% low in the first term and other recent presidents such as Joe Biden hit a 36% low, Barack Obama hit a 40% low, George W. Bush hit a 25% low and Bill Clinton hit a 37% low, according to the Gallup polls, whose recorded lowest rating was Harry Truman with 22%.
As for the highest presidential approval ratings, George W. Bush holds the highest approval rating ever recorded at 90%, while his father, George H. Bush holds the second highest at 89%.
Trump is the only president that has not reached a 50% or higher approval to date in the Gallup polls’ history.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
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