CHICAGO (WLS) — On Friday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker enacted legislation that permits certain terminally ill adults to seek medically-assisted end-of-life options.
Set to be implemented on September 12, Senate Bill 1950, also referred to as the Medical Aid and Dying Bill, introduces this new provision.
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The law grants adults with a terminal diagnosis of six months or less the right to request a prescription from their physician, which they can self-administer to peacefully end their lives.
Suzy Flack, a former resident of the western suburbs, expressed her support for the legislation. Her son, Andrew, who battled terminal cancer, chose to pass away in California in 2022, where such medical aid was available, rather than in Illinois.
“I believe it’s a positive step for everyone,” Flack remarked. “Andrew fought valiantly for years, but the pain ultimately became unbearable.”
Named Deb’s Law in tribute to Illinois resident Deb Robertson, who is contending with a rare terminal condition, the bill narrowly passed the Illinois Senate with a 30-27 vote. This followed a 63-42 vote in the House, with two members abstaining.
Signing the bill Friday morning, Pritzker said in a statement, in part, “Today, Illinois honors their strength and courage by enacting legislation that enables patients faced with debilitating terminal illnesses to make a decision, in consultation with a doctor, that helps them avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives.”
But opponents of the measure argue people can defy the odds and survive a six-month terminal diagnosis. They also have concerns with the amount of people who could gain access to the end-of-life drug.
“Illinois is already a state where people with disabilities have some of the least amount of services, the least amount of quality supports to live in the community. What people with disabilities want is the right to live, not just a right to die,” said Access Living Vice President of Advocacy Amber Smock.
Advocates of the plan argue that there are safeguards in place to ensure patient protection for Illinois residents. The law does not require a doctor, health care provider, or pharmacist to participate in the option, but it does make it a felony to coerce anyone to request the medication or to forge a request.
Adult patients 18 or older requesting end-of-life medication must:
- Have a terminal illness that will result in death within six months as determined by two physicians
- Be informed by their physician about all of their end-of-life care options
- Have the mental capacity, confirmed by their physician, to make medical decisions, and written and oral requests to receive the aid-in-dying medication can only be made by the patient and not by a surrogate or advanced care directive
In a statement, the Catholic Conference of Illinois said, in part, that the signing of the bill into law puts “Illinois on a dangerous and heartbreaking path one that legitimizes suicide as a valid solution for life’s challenges.”
The practice is already authorized in 11 states and the District of Columbia.
The legislation also requires that insurance plans, including Medicaid, not deny or alter benefits to patients with terminal disease based on the availability of end-of-life care, their request for medication, or absence of a request.
Death certificates of those who take end-of-life medication under the law will attribute their cause of death to the underlying terminal disease.
Patients who qualify and receive medication can withdraw their request at any time and choose not to take it.
If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text the new three digit code at 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org or dial the current toll free number 800-273-8255 [TALK].
