Overview
- Eligible adults must have a terminal diagnosis with a prognosis of six months or less confirmed by two physicians, be mentally capable, make both oral and written requests, and self-administer the medication.
- Participation by physicians, pharmacists and health care providers is voluntary, and institutions may prohibit the practice within their facilities.
- The statute, known as Deb’s Law, includes safeguards such as felony penalties for coercion or forgery, death certificates listing the underlying illness, and post‑death reporting to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
- The measure passed by narrow margins — 63-42 in the House and 30-27 in the Senate — and makes Illinois the 12th U.S. jurisdiction to authorize medical aid in dying.
- Opposition from Catholic leaders, disability advocates and conservative legal groups continued after the signing, with the Thomas More Society signaling plans to challenge the law in court.