Bill > SB0009

This bill establishes the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act, which allows qualified adult Illinois residents with a terminal disease to request medication that will enable them to end their life peacefully. The bill outlines a comprehensive process requiring multiple steps to ensure patient autonomy, informed consent, and protection against coercion. Specifically, a patient must make both oral and written requests to their attending physician, be evaluated by both attending and consulting physicians, and potentially undergo a mental health evaluation to confirm mental capacity. The attending physician must provide detailed information about the patient's diagnosis, prognosis, alternative treatment options, and the risks and benefits of aid-in-dying medication. The bill includes strict safeguards, such as requiring two witness signatures on the request form, at least one of whom cannot be a relative or someone who would benefit from the patient's estate. Healthcare professionals are not obligated to participate and can opt out, and health care entities may prohibit aid-in-dying practices on their premises. The bill mandates confidential reporting to the Department of Public Health and specifies that deaths under this act will be attributed to the underlying terminal disease, not suicide. Importantly, the legislation emphasizes that the act does not constitute euthanasia or assisted suicide, but provides a voluntary end-of-life option for terminally ill patients.

Government Affairs

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=9&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=114&GA=104