She Runs Illinois 2022! — Doris Turner, candidate for IL State Senate, District 48
She Votes Illinois is pleased to feature Doris Turner, incumbent, running for IL State Senate, District 48. Follow our series, She Runs Illinois 2022!, leading up to election day as we showcase and uplift the voices of Illinois women running for public office in the upcoming election, November 8, 2022.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Doris Turner, and I am a past member of the Springfield /Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission, Springfield/Sangamon County Health Initiative Board of Directors, Voices for Illinois Children Springfield Leadership Team, Chamber of Commerce Q5 Initiative Diversity Council, Medics First Board of Directors, and a founding board member of the Southern Illinois University Federally Qualified Health Center. I am also a current member of the Sangamon County Board of Health, Friends of Sangamon County Drug Court, and co-chair of the Springfield High Speed Railroad Community Advisory Commission. I have been a lifelong resident of Springfield. A recent retiree after working 33 years for the State of Illinois with twenty-two of those with the Department of Public Health, I have spent my entire career working to enhance the lives of those around me.
What are the priorities that you intend to focus on in office?
My top priorities that I intend to focus on in office are: protecting a woman’s right to choose and dictate their own healthcare and empowering individuals to come together and form unions while also protecting current unions' rights to collectively bargain.
How have you involved residents in your decision-making process? How do you plan to involve more people in the future?
Yes, I work directly with many constituency groups in my district to listen to their concerns and needs to help find creative solutions to problems. I plan to host round tables on the stateside with diverse constituent groups to bring them directly into my office and into the fold on creating better policy.
How can the ILGA help protect Black trans women from the hate that puts their safety at risk?
We need to provide better protections and support services for them. Black trans women have the highest rates and risk of suicide so we need to ensure their access to mental health services, by possibly enshrining them in the Illinois Human Rights Act as a protected class.
The crisis of domestic violence is closely linked to the widespread and growing use of guns by abusers. What solutions do you advocate to reduce gender-based gun violence in Illinois?
I plan to introduce legislation to ensure that victims of domestic violence have the support they need to feel safe in their homes and out in the world. We need to protect these individuals from continued harm by having support systems in place for every instance and type of abuse. As for the gun violence component we need to ensure that individuals with mental health issues and propensities to violence are properly screened before being able to access deadly firearms.
As states surrounding us and across the country further restrict abortion access, what more do you think needs to be done here in Illinois to further protect patients in and out-of-state and abortion providers?
Illinois needs to enshrine in our constitution a women’s right to choose and decide her own healthcare decisions. We made a huge stride with the parental notice repeal, but that is not enough to ensure that women in all walks of life can have access to critical healthcare when they need it. When women need to travel to Illinois from out of state we need to make sure we are supporting them as thoroughly as possible. Whether that is through providing transportation and temporary housing during recovery.
Closing comments
The people in the 48th Senate District should vote for me because I have a strong track record of protecting women’s rights to choose, defending supporting unions, increasing access to healthcare, and providing strong leadership for my community by bringing people together to discuss issues affecting their lives. Representation matters and having strong leadership in these positions ensures that compromise on our most important issues does not happen and that we provide what is needed by our constituents.
If you would like to learn more about Doris Turner and her platform or volunteer for her campaign, please check out her website at dorisforillinois.com. Don’t forget to follow her on Facebook at @VoteforDoris and Instagram at @votefordoris48. Reach out today and help make a difference in the upcoming 2022 election.
(The information contained in this post is provided only as general information and does not imply an endorsement by She Votes Illinois.)
