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Illinois

Status of End-of-Life Legislation

The Illinois End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (SB 3499), that would authorize medical aid in dying in Illinois, was introduced in the Senate on February 8, 2024 by Assistant Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D 42). The legislation is summarized here.

The majority of Illinoisans support medical aid in dying. In a 2023 poll, 71% of likely Illinois Voters supported this compassionate legislation. The majority of Illinois physicians also support this option with the key safeguards in the legislation

Survey of Illinois Physicians’ Attitudes Toward Medical Aid in Dying as an End-of-Life Option

Illinois Legislative Campaign Overview

The Compassion & Choices Action Network Illinois team and the ACLU of Illinois are partnering in the Illinois End-of-Life Options Coalition to advocate for the end-of-life care option of medical aid in dying for qualified terminally ill Illinoisans. If you would like to get involved in this movement, please sign up here.

Polling

Legislation to allow medical aid in dying, an option for mentally capable, terminally ill adults to peacefully end unbearable suffering, is supported by a wide majority of Illinois voters, regardless of political affiliation, disability, race, gender identity, age or religion.

5 charts showing support for Medical Aid in dying across demographics in Illinois

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Hear from Illinoisan Deb Robertson

Nilsa Centeno is the mother of the late Miguel Carrasquillo, a Chicago chef who died in his native Puerto Rico in 2016 of brain cancer while advocating for medical aid in dying.

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Tools and Resources

Illinois Newsletter Archive, issues linked below

Fall/Winter 2022
Summer 2022
Spring 2022
Fall 2021

 

simple blue medical cross graphic.For Patients Access the Illinois Advance Directive  

 

 

tools for end of life planning and decision making.End-of-Life Planning Use our step-by-step guide to chart your journey.  

 

 

advance care planning and resources in Spanish, espanol.Los recursos en Español Los recursos en Español.  

 

 

answers to questions about COVID-19, including treatment and end of life.COVID-19 Toolkit Get answers to your questions about COVID-19 and end of life care.  

 

 

tools for end of life planning and decision making.Resources for Providers Find resources tailored to the needs of healthcare providers.     

 

 

Kari Alice Lynn sitting on a bench

“I live in Illinois, a state that does not yet authorize medical aid in dying. Because of this, I am planning to voluntarily stop eating and drinking to control my dying process when I'm ready to leave this realm of existence.”

Kari Alice provided Compassion & Choices her story in June of 2020.

In March, I was told that I have lung cancer and, without treatment, only have a year to live. I have made the decision to not have chemo, radiation, or immunotherapy. I am unwilling to exchange my quality of life for an extra year or two, filled with agonizing side effects from invasive treatments.

I accept death as part of the cycle of our existence. I almost died in 1995 because of complications from HIV/AIDS and it was life-changing. I have been emotionally prepared for this reality for a long time. Death does not scare me, but pain and suffering do.

I'm 75 years old and I am fortunate to have my ailments currently well managed, but the future of how my cancer manifests is unknown. I don't want to linger in pain, suffering for months. I don’t want to experience ongoing air hunger. My cancer can spread anywhere and everywhere, including my brain, and depending on where it metastasizes, the symptoms can be excruciating.

I live in Illinois, a state that does not yet authorize medical aid in dying. Because of this, I am planning to voluntarily stop eating and drinking (VSED) to control my dying process when I'm ready to leave this realm of existence.

Prior to having friends share with me about VSED, I spent hours thinking about how I might manage to relocate to a state that allows for aid in dying, and equally thinking of methods to die by suicide. Thinking about my limited options was traumatic. The idea of moving to another state was anxiety-producing. I don’t have a lot of money and I’ve lived in Illinois almost my entire life. How would I afford to make such a move? How could I emotionally deal with my end-of-life journey without friends to comfort me during that time? I felt I had nowhere to turn.

Learning about VSED has given me some sense of relief, but I would prefer the option of medical aid in dying. I don’t know how many weeks it will take to die by ceasing hydration and nutrition. I wish medical aid in dying was an option in my home state so that I could be assured to have control over when I die, with the ability to be surrounded by my loved ones.

Laws should allow terminally ill residents the peace of mind of the option of medical aid in dying. The fact that I don’t live in Oregon, or California, or one of the other numerous states where aid in dying is available should not restrict my options at life’s end. It would be such a comfort to have the option afforded to me.


The Compassion & Choices family comprises two organizations: Compassion & Choices (the 501(c)(3)), whose focus is expanding access, public education and litigation; and Compassion & Choices Action Network (the 501(c)(4)), whose focus is legislative work at the federal and state levels.

 

Supported in part by Compassion & Choices Action Network.

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