A New End-of-Life Choice Is Coming to Illinois

The final chapter of life is deeply personal. It can be shaped by family, faith, medicine, and the wishes a person carries about dignity and comfort.

Beginning September 12, 2026, some terminally ill adults in Illinois will have a new option to consider.

Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1950 into law on December 12, 2025. Known as the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act and sometimes called Deb’s Law, the new law allows certain qualified patients to request medication that they may choose to self-administer to peacefully end their lives.

Who Qualifies Under the New Law?

The law is narrowly written. A patient must be at least 18 years old and an Illinois resident. The patient must have a terminal disease that is expected to result in death within six months. Two physicians must agree with the terminal diagnosis and prognosis. The patient must also have the mental capacity to make the decision and must be able to self-administer the medication.

If there is a question about a patient’s mental capacity, the law requires an evaluation by a qualified mental health professional before the patient can proceed.

The decision also belongs to the patient alone.

A health care agent, guardian, surrogate decision-maker, or attorney-in-fact for health care cannot make the request on someone else’s behalf. The choice cannot be made through an advance health care directive.

The Law Includes a Formal Request Process

A qualified patient must make oral and written requests. In most cases, the patient must repeat the oral request to the attending physician at least five days after the initial oral request. The written request must be witnessed by at least two people who attest that the patient has mental capacity, is acting voluntarily, and is not being coerced or unduly influenced.

Even after completing the process, the patient may change their mind. A person may withdraw the request at any time. Receiving the medication does not require the patient to take it.

Physicians and health care professionals are also not required to participate. The law protects professionals who participate in good faith as well as those who decline to provide aid-in-dying care. Health care organizations may establish policies prohibiting the practice within their facilities.

A Conversation Families May Soon Be Having

The General Assembly described medical aid in dying as an additional end-of-life option alongside comfort care, pain control, palliative care, and hospice.

For Illinois families, SB 1950 may bring new and difficult conversations to the kitchen table. It may also raise questions about advance care planning, a person’s wishes at the end of life, and who should be included in those conversations.

The law does not take effect until September 12, 2026. The delayed effective date gives the Illinois Department of Public Health and participating health care providers time to develop the processes and protections required under the Act.

As with so many decisions surrounding serious illness, understanding the law before a crisis can give families more time to talk, ask questions, and consider what matters most.

Contact a certified elder law attorney(*), such as Linda Strohschein and her team at Strohschein Law Group for assistance. To set up an appointment, contact Strohschein Law Group at 630-300-0627.