CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker said he is still reviewing a bill that would give terminally ill patients in Illinois the option to receive medication to end their own lives.
The measure, known as S.B. 1950 or Deb’s Law, was recently passed by the Illinois State Senate and sent to the governor’s desk for approval. It would apply only to patients who are mentally capable and have been given six months or less to live.
“I’m looking at it,” Pritzker said during a press briefing. “It was something that I didn’t expect and didn’t know was going to be voted on, so we’re examining it, even now.”
The bill is named after Debra Robertson, a Lombard resident with terminal cancer who has long advocated for the right to die on her own terms.
When asked about the broader issue of end-of-life choices, Pritzker expressed compassion for patients and their families. “I know how terrible it is that someone in the last six months of their life can be experiencing terrible pain and anguish,” he said. “I know people whose family members have gone through that, and it hits me deeply. It makes me wonder how we can alleviate the pain they’re going through.”
If signed into law, Deb’s Law would take effect nine months after the governor’s approval.
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