Editor’s Note: This article contains discussions of suicide. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can find resources in your area on the National Crisis Line website or by calling 988.
(NewsNation) — Catholic bishops in Illinois condemned a law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker that allows physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill.
The law takes effect in September 2026 in order to give the Illinois Department of Public Health and other medical participants time to develop “stringent processes and protections” for implementing the provision, according to the Democratic governor’s office.
Illinois is the twelfth state, along with the District of Columbia, to legalize assisted suicide.
The Catholic bishops of Illinois called the law a “dangerous and heartbreaking path.” They had urged Gov. Pritzker to veto the bill.
“This bill is not about compassion,” they wrote. “The legislation requires no services to be offered to the person requesting death, there is no requirement that family be near the loved one at the point of death, or that the person is not being coerced into ending their life.”
“A compassionate path forward is to support dying persons by alleviating their suffering through palliative care, hospice care, and other comprehensive programs,” the bishops continued. “Aiding someone in killing himself or herself is not the answer.”
Governor Pritzker, who met with Pope Leo XIV on November 19, signed the bill into law on December 12.
“This legislation will be thoughtfully implemented so that physicians can consult patients on making deeply personal decisions with authority, autonomy, and empathy,” Pritzker said.
Some Catholic hospitals announced they would not participate in prescribing life-ending medication for terminally ill patients. According to WGLT, OSF HealthCare, based in Peoria, said in a statement it was “saddened” to hear the governor had signed the bill.
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