Illinois residents who are terminally ill can now end their lives. Here’s how it works.
In Illinois, terminally ill residents with less than six months to live can now request a prescription for medication to end their lives.
Illinois joins 12 other states and Washington D.C., in legalizing medical aid in dying. In Illinois, it’s called “Deb’s Law,” inspired by Deb Robertson, a former social worker in suburban Lombard who has an aggressive form of cancer. Robertson spent years advocating for the right to end her life with medication, should she choose to do so.
After much emotional debate, Illinois lawmakers ultimately passed the proposed bill with 30 yays and 27 nays. Gov. JB Pritzker signed it into law on Dec. 12, 2025, recalling how he’d been moved by stories of people in Illinois or their loved ones who suffered from a terminal illness.
But the measure has become a lightning rod for some religious and disability rights groups who worry it could lead to abuse. Despite court challenges, the law still stands.
Here’s what to know about medical aid in dying in Illinois.
How does Deb’s Law work?
Using a new state form, a patient makes a written request to their doctor to get a prescription for medication that would end their life. They also must make two verbal requests at least five days apart, according to the state. Patients could hand their doctor a letter and make their first verbal request at the same time. A second physician must approve the request.
Physicians can waive the waiting period for patients who are expected to die within five days.
Patients must be able to swallow medication on their own or through a feeding tube. It’s typically a mixture of several drugs specially prepared into a powder that can be mixed into water or juice.
Doctors must tell patients about potential risks, and likely outcome if they take the medication, that they can rescind their request, and that they don’t have to take the medication.
Physicians who have concerns about a patient’s mental capacity would refer them to a mental health provider who could halt the process.
Patients would get their prescription filled through a specialty pharmacy that prepares customized medications.
How do you find a doctor who is participating?
Patients largely have to navigate this on their own. There is no directory of doctors or pharmacies in Illinois offering medical aid in dying. Doctors are not required to participate, but they must help patients get a referral to a physician who would say yes. (Doctors are shielded from prosecution whether they participate or refuse to).
A lack of guidance from the state, which has had about nine months to prepare for the law to take effect, is frustrating people who work with patients who are dying. Some patients in hospice care are already asking about the new law, and there’s no physician or pharmacy to refer them to, said Sara Dado, executive director of the Illinois Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. The advocacy group has about 35 members across the state, from small hospice centers to ones that are part of big hospitals.
The majority of her members don’t plan to write prescriptions for medication to end someone’s life. But many would refer patients to a doctor who would. Hospitals have told Dado they’re still figuring out if and how they plan to participate, while several religiously-affiliated medical centers have already opted out.
This is par for the course. Doctors took a wait and see approach in other states that rolled out medical aid in dying, said Thalia DeWolf, associate director of education for the Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine. The nonprofit trains doctors to doulas across the U.S. on end of life care and does not advocate for or against medical aid in dying.
A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health declined an interview but answered questions over email. She said the state has sent “communications” to health care providers about the law and plans to hold a webinar.
What are potential barriers for patients?
There are no requirements in Deb’s Law that insurers must cover the cost of medication, and they typically don’t.
The lack of insurance coverage could be a big hurdle for people who can least afford to pay, DeWolf said. The medication in some states ranges from $600 to $1,000 out of pocket.
Finding a physician who speaks your language or having access to interpreters can also be a challenge.
Is there opposition to the law?
Yes. There is still some opposition, including from Cardinal Blase Cupich in Chicago, who is part of a federal lawsuit that alleges medical aid in dying is unconstitutional and denies “the choice of a dignified death” to Catholics who want to die naturally.
In the past roughly 30 years since Oregon voters passed the first medical aid in dying law in the U.S., more than 20,000 people in places where medical aid in dying is legal received prescriptions, with at least 12,000 ingesting medication, according to Compassion and Choices, a national nonprofit that advocated for medical aid in dying in Illinois.
Contributing: Jon Seidel
Kristen Schorsch is a senior reporter covering public health for WBEZ.