Illinois Government

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday signed the Medical Aid in Dying bill, known as Deb’s Law, allowing eligible terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to obtain life-ending medication starting September 2026. The law requires patients to self-administer the drug, makes coercion or forging a request a felony, and lists the underlying terminal disease as the cause of death; IDPH and providers are given time to implement safeguards. The ACLU of Illinois praised the move while the Catholic Conference of Illinois opposed it, warning of risks to poor and disabled patients.