Assisted suicide bill reaches Illinois governor’s desk 

A bill that would allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill adults has passed both chambers of the Illinois Legislature and now awaits action from Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The measure, called the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act, cleared the state Senate on Oct. 31 by a 30-27 vote after passing the House in May. If Pritzker signs it, Illinois will become the first state in the Midwest to legalize assisted suicide.

Under the proposal, adults with less than six months to live could request life-ending medication from a physician.

Two doctors would need to confirm the diagnosis and mental capacity of the patient, and there would be a five-day waiting period between two separate verbal requests. The law would allow patients to take the medication on their own without medical supervision.

The legislation passed narrowly after facing strong opposition from religious groups, medical professionals and disability advocates who say it sends a dangerous message about the value of human life.

The Catholic Conference of Illinois called on Pritzker to reject the measure.

“With the passage of legislation to legalize assisted suicide in Illinois, the Illinois General Assembly has put our state on a slippery path that jeopardizes the well-being of the poor and marginalized, especially those in the disability community and have foreseeable tragic consequences,” its statement said.

“With all the assaults on human dignity and the growing number of vulnerable people we see every day, sadly the leaders and members of the General Assembly who voted for this offer us suicide as its response.”

It argued lawmakers ignored advances in palliative care that relieve suffering without ending life.

Sen. Chris Balkema, R-Channahon, said on the Senate floor the legislation would introduce “a culture of death” to Illinois. He shared that both his parents died peacefully in hospice care.

Supporters of the measure, including sponsor Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, said it contains “over 20 guardrails” to prevent coercion and abuse.

Pritzker said he’s reviewing the legislation. If he neither signs nor vetoes it within 60 days, it will automatically become law.

Eleven states, mainly led by Democrats, have legalized assisted suicide. Several states have expanded the scope of the practice in recent years. For example, Oregon and Vermont eliminated residency requirements for out-of-staters in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Colorado enacted a law last year reducing the waiting period between oral requests from 15 days to seven, creating waiting-period waivers for some patients and allowing advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe it.

Canada legalized assisted suicide in 2016. Assisted suicide became the country’s fifth-leading cause of death by 2022, increasing from 1,018 cases in 2016 to 13,241 cases six years later.