Know Your Rights: Medical Aid in Dying
Last updated: September 12, 2026 06:52 am
Medical aid in dying is the practice in which a qualified terminally ill, mentally capable adult patient voluntarily requests and receives a prescription medication from their physician that they can self-administer to die peacefully on their own terms. Illinois enacted medical aid in dying in 2026 through Deb’s Law.
To be eligible to choose medical aid in dying under the law, the individual must be:
- An adult (aged 18 or older)
- Terminally ill with a prognosis of six months or less to live
- Mentally capable of making their own healthcare decisions
- Able to self-administer the medication through an affirmative, conscious, voluntary act to ingest it. Self-administration does not include injection or infusion via a vein or any other parenteral route by any person, including the healthcare provider, family member, or patient themselves
- A resident of Illinois
A person is not eligible for medical aid in dying solely because of advanced age or disability.
If you meet the criteria of medical aid in dying, but your doctor denies your request based on their or the health system’s beliefs they should provide you with a referral as required by the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, to a medical provider who may provide the care and/or transmit your medical records, when requested in writing, without undue delay.
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