# Illinois Now Allows Physician-Assisted Suicide for Terminally ill
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Friday that will allow terminally ill adult patients to obtain terminal medications in consultation with their doctors, making Illinois the latest state to allow physician-assisted suicide for people with a prognosis of six months or less.
The law, known as the Medical Aid in Dying Act or “Deb’s Law,” will take effect in September 2026 to allow participating healthcare providers and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) time to implement rigorous processes and protections.
Deb Robertson, a lifelong Illinois resident with a rare terminal illness for which the bill is named, said in a statement that she “knows the end might potentially be near for me. But I’m glad I was able to play a role in ensuring that terminally ill Illinoisans have access to medical assistance in dying.”
Pritzker, a Democrat, wrote in a news release that the legislation will help terminally ill patients “avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives” and will be “carefully implemented so that doctors can consult patients in making deeply personal decisions with authority, autonomy and empathy.”
The ACLU of Illinois applauded the new measure,saying that terminally ill patients living in Illinois “will no longer have to agonize over spending their remaining days in fear of a painful death.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks to FOX News in Washington, DC, on October 23, 2025.
While Pritzker’s office included a quote from Chicago Episcopalian minister Rev. Judith Doran in support of the law, other groups, including the Illinois Catholic Conference, issued statements opposing any legislation that would legalize assisted suicide.
“Supporters argue that this legislation will end end-of-life suffering,” the Catholic bishops of Illinois wrote in a September declaration. “Assisted suicide is not the compassionate solution for those who suffer. Through palliative care, expanded access to mental health care, and stronger family and community support, healthcare workers and families are finding better ways to accompany these people with compassion that truly brings love and dignity to every human life.”
They added that the “unintended consequences” of legalized assisted suicide include documented cases of people being denied life-saving medical care by insurance companies in lieu of the much cheaper option of deadly drugs.
“The poor and people with disabilities are particularly in danger because they are the most vulnerable to such abuse,” the Illinois Catholic Conference wrote. “In response, every major national association representing people with disabilities opposes assisted suicide.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and first lady Mary Kathryn Muenster pose with Pope Leo XIV in the apostolic Palace at the Vatican on November 19, 2025.
Pope Leo XIV meets with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in Vatican City, Vatican, November 19, 2025.
Related reading