Illinois Assisted Suicide Law

Pope Leo XIV said he is "very disappointed" that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act on Dec. 12, legalizing physician-assisted suicide for eligible terminally ill adults in the Pope’s home state. Leo said he had explicitly urged Pritzker not to approve the bill, echoed opposition from Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and the state’s six Catholic dioceses, and called during remarks near Rome for renewed respect for human life "from conception to natural death" as the law takes effect in September 2026.