An Introduction to Medical Aid in Dying – Illinois

Medical aid in dying is the practice in which a terminally ill, mentally capable adult patient voluntarily requests and receives a prescription medication from their physician that they can self-administer to die peacefully on their own terms. Medical aid in dying is authorized in 14 jurisdictions with strict eligibility criteria and safeguards. In Illinois, medical aid in dying has been authorized since 2026 by the Illinois End-of-Life Options Act, also known as Deb's Law, for Compassion & Choices advocate Deb Robertson.

The law was signed on December 12th, 2025 by Governor JB Pritzker. It goes into effect on September 12th, 2026.

To be eligible to use the law, the individual must:

• An adult (aged 18 or older)
• Terminally ill with a prognosis of six months or less to live
• Mentally capable of making their own healthcare decisions
• Able to self-administer the medication through an affirmative, conscious, voluntary act to ingest it. Self-administration does not include injection or infusion via a vein or any other parenteral route by any person, including the healthcare provider, family member, or the patient themselves
• A resident of Illinois

A person is not eligible for medical aid in dying solely because of age or disability.