Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois signed legislation on Friday authorizing medical aid in dying, allowing eligible terminally ill adults to end their lives with prescription medication. 

The move makes Illinois the latest state to legalize the practice of assisted suicide, joining 11 other states and the District of Columbia.

Senate Bill 1950, also known as the Medical Aid in Dying Act, permits adults with a prognosis of six months or less to request a prescription from their doctor to die on their own terms. The law, which passed the Senate 30-27 and the House 63-42, is set to take effect on September 12, 2026, allowing time for authorities to establish appropriate procedures.

“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,” Mr. Pritzker said in a statement.

He emphasized that the law would be “thoughtfully implemented so that physicians can consult patients on making deeply personal decisions with authority, autonomy and empathy.”

The bill is also referred to as “Deb’s Law” in honor of Deb Robertson, an Illinois resident living with a rare terminal illness. “I know the end for me could be near,” Ms. Robertson said in a statement. “But I’m pleased to have been able to play some role in ensuring that terminally ill Illinoisans have access to medical aid in dying.”

Some religious groups took issue with the new law. “Proponents argue that this legislation will end suffering at the end-of-life,” the Catholic Bishops of Illinois wrote in a September statement.

“Assisted suicide is not the compassionate solution for those who are suffering. Through palliative care, expanded access to mental health care, and stronger family and community support, providers and families are finding better ways to accompany these people compassionately that truly confer the love for, and dignity of, each human life,” the group said.

The Thomas More Society, a public interest law firm, echoed the sentiments.

“This is a dark and sorrowful day for Illinois,” the group’s executive vice president, Thomas Olp, said in a statement. “When the state signals that some lives are no longer worth living, the most vulnerable pay the price. Instead of offering true compassion, support, and care, this law offers a fatal prescription. That is not mercy. It is abandonment.”

For many families, the signing brings a sense of relief and closure. Illinois resident Suzy Flack recalled her son Andrew’s experience. Andrew did not die in his home state but passed away in California in 2022, where medical aid in dying was already legal.

“I think it’s something that will benefit all,” Ms. Flack was quoted as saying in Mr. Pritzker’s statement. “He desperately wanted to live, and he fought for many, many years to keep going, and eventually, it just became much too much pain.”

The ACLU of Illinois also applauded the measure, noting that patients will “no longer have to agonize about spending their remaining days fearful of a painful death.”

Advocates insist the legislation includes strict safeguards. Participation by healthcare providers and pharmacists is voluntary, and the law establishes felony charges for coercing a patient to request medication or for forging a request.

To qualify, patients aged 18 or older must:

-Have a terminal illness expected to result in death within six months, confirmed by two physicians.

-Be informed by their physician of all end-of-life care options.

-Possess the mental capacity to make medical decisions, as confirmed by a physician.

-Make written and oral requests personally; surrogates or advanced care directives cannot make the request.

-Self-administer the medication.

Qualified patients may withdraw their request or choose not to take the medication at any time. Furthermore, death certificates will list the underlying terminal disease as the cause of death rather than suicide.

Insurance plans, including Medicaid, are prohibited from denying or altering benefits based on a patient’s decision regarding the medication.