Illinois becomes latest state to legalize assisted suicide

Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday announced that he’d signed a bill that would allow terminally ill residents aged 18 or older to request life-ending drugs from doctors. The measure is set to take effect next September and makes Illinois the 12th state to legalize medically assisted suicide. State senators passed the measure in the early morning hours of Oct. 31 during a special veto session and moved it to Pritzker’s desk. Under the law, a patient who has been given six months or less to live will be required to request the deadly pills twice, with a five-day waiting period between the requests. Another doctor will also be required to assess the patient’s mental capacity and ability to make his or her decision.

How have advocates and opponents responded? Compassion & Choices, a pro-assisted suicide organization, cheered the move and said the law would give patients control over when and how they die. Meanwhile, the Catholic Conference of Illinois argued the law would legitimize suicide as a valid solution for life’s challenges and failed to prioritize end-of-life support services. The pro-life Thomas More Society condemned the signing, saying it would put vulnerable people at risk of being pressured to end their lives. Several state lawmakers also criticized the bill, saying it goes too far and lacks guardrails.

Dig deeper: Read my report in Vitals about this and similar bills moving through state legislatures.