WASHINGTON — In a move that underscores the growing disregard for the lives of the most vulnerable, the Illinois State Senate quietly passed legislation in the early hours of Friday morning to legalize assisted suicide. The measure, Senate Bill 1950, passed by the narrowest of margins—30 to 27, with two senators not voting—during a late-night veto session.

“Under the cover of darkness, Illinois lawmakers chose to advance a policy that endangers the elderly, those with disabilities, and individuals struggling with depression or terminal illness,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Assisted suicide is not compassion—it’s abandonment. Illinois residents deserve laws that protect vulnerable people, not ones that pressure them toward an early death.” 

In a procedural maneuver that has drawn criticism, supporters in the House advanced SB 1950 by gutting an unrelated food safety bill that had previously passed the Senate and replacing it with language to legalize assisted suicide. 

“When states legalize assisted suicide, safeguards quickly erode, and the so-called ‘right to die’ becomes a duty to die,” continued Tobias. “The people of Illinois have every reason to be alarmed. Governor Pritzker should veto this bill and support true compassionate care for those facing serious illness.” 

The bill, which cleared the Illinois House in the spring, now heads to Democrat Governor J.B. Pritzker for his consideration. 

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.