A Moral ‘Red Line’: Pritzker Signs Bill That Could Make Illinois A Hub For ‘Suicide Tourism’

Democrat Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation on Friday that conservative advocates say will turn Illinois into a hub for “suicide tourism.” 

The new law allows doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to end the lives of those who are terminally ill and have been given a prognosis of less than six months to live. The bill had been sitting on his desk for over a month after Democrat lawmakers in the state Senate passed the measure a few hours after midnight on Halloween in a 30-27 vote. 

“I have been deeply impacted by the stories of Illinoisans or their loved ones that have suffered from a devastating terminal illness, and I have been moved by their dedication to standing up for freedom and choice at the end of life in the midst of personal heartbreak,” Pritzker said in a statement after signing the legislation. 

Conservatives fear that the law will force doctors to promote and make referrals for the deadly practice. It would also bar Christian hospitals from firing doctors or employees who perform assisted suicides. The Thomas More Society, which previously told The Daily Wire that it would sue to block the law if signed, lamented the news. 

“This is a dark and sorrowful day for Illinois. When the state signals that some lives are no longer worth living, the most vulnerable pay the price,” said Thomas Olp, the executive vice president at Thomas More Society. “Instead of offering true compassion, support, and care, this law offers a fatal prescription. That is not mercy. It is abandonment.” 

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The Thomas More Society said that the law would put the elderly, disabled, and vulnerable at risk and jeopardize the religious liberty of Christian doctors. 

“By legalizing physician-assisted suicide, the Land of Lincoln has crossed a profound moral and legal red line. As signed into law, this fatal misstep places vulnerable lives at risk, tramples the inherent dignity of human life, and erodes the foundational conscience rights of medical professionals and religious medical practices.” 

Illinois becomes the 12th state to legalize assisted suicide, and is the first Midwest state to do so. Thomas More Society Head of Litigation Peter Breen previously told The Daily Wire that “There’s a significant concern that this is going to turn Illinois into a suicide tourism state.”