Overview
- Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act, allowing eligible terminally ill adults to obtain prescribed, self-administered life-ending medication.
- Eligibility requires two in-person physician confirmations of a prognosis of six months or less, verified decision-making capacity, and counseling on hospice and palliative options.
- Patients must make both written and oral requests, only the patient can make the request, and the medication must be self-administered with the option to withdraw at any time.
- Participation by physicians, pharmacists, and health systems is voluntary, coercion or forged requests are felonies, and deaths are recorded as due to the underlying disease.
- The measure, narrowly passed by the General Assembly and known as Deb’s Bill, drew strong opposition from Catholic and disability-rights groups who continue to voice concerns about coercion and abuse.