Contact your state lawmakers and tell them to ‘Vote no’ on Senate Bill 3499

Contact your state senator and state representative now to express your opposition to Senate Bill 3499, a proposed piece of legislation that seeks to legalize assisted suicide in Illinois. 

Proponents refer to this as Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), but using the word “medical” to describe the intentional taking of a life distorts the meaning of medicine and masks what SB 3499 is about, which is why it should really be referred to as “assisted suicide.” 

The proponents of this bill are actively urging lawmakers to pass SB 3499 during the upcoming Lame Duck Session in Springfield, which begins on Jan. 2, 2025 and concludes on Jan. 8, 2025 when the new 104th General Assembly is sworn into office. 

In keeping with our faith traditions, legalizing assisted suicide goes against the Church’s teachings on the sanctity and dignity of human life. It undermines the value of each human person, particularly those who are vulnerable. 

Laws permitting assisted suicide pose significant risks to the poor, marginalized, and disabled, who may face pressure to end their lives rather than receive the care and compassion they need and deserve. There are documented cases in states where assisted suicide has been legalized, where individuals with rare or life-threatening conditions were denied necessary medical treatment and were instead offered life-ending prescriptions.

Lawmakers should look to the example set by Canada, where initial safeguards meant to limit assisted suicide to individuals with terminal illnesses have been gradually expanded to include people suffering from mental illness. The Illinois bishops’ letter, A Better Way Forward (below) offers further insights into the dangers of assisted suicide.

Illinois does not need to legalize assisted suicide. What we truly need is increased access to quality health care, enhanced palliative care options, and loving and compassionate support services for those at the end of their life. These are the alternatives that uphold the dignity of every person.  

Contact your state lawmakers and tell them to oppose SB 3499. Also, pray for the conversion of hearts among those who support assisted suicide. 

Please go to ilcatholic.org to find out how to contact your local elected official to tell them to vote No on SB 3499.

A Better Way Forward — A message from the Catholic bishops of Illinois

Legislation has been introduced to legalize assisted suicide in Illinois. SB 3499 makes it legal for a physician to prescribe an array of lethal drugs to a person diagnosed with a terminal disease who requests to end his or her life. The Catholic Bishops of Illinois oppose this legislation; there is a better way forward for our state.

As Pope Francis underscores, “We must accompany people towards death, but not provide death or facilitate assisted suicide.”

Assisted suicide disregards the Hippocratic Oath, “Do No Harm,” and sends the wrong message about the role of medical professionals. We cannot say it any better than the American Medical Association, “Physician assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would provide serious societal risks.”

This legislation brings a range of possible abuses. It should alarm us that in states with legalized assisted suicide there are documented cases of people being offered inexpensive lethal drugs to end their life rather than being provided more costly treatment. The poor and those with disabilities are particularly in jeopardy because they are the most vulnerable to abuses. Every major national organization that represents people with disabilities is opposed to assisted suicide.

In Oregon, where assisted suicide has been legal since 1997, data show that pain is not among the top five reasons why a person wants to end their life. Loss of autonomy, feelings of being a burden, and being less able to engage in activities that make life enjoyable are most often cited as reasons for choosing assisted suicide. A better way forward is to expand mental health coverage and strengthen social supports such as community programs to help those dealing with depression and feelings of hopelessness.

No one wants to suffer or experience a loved one’s suffering. Fortunately, there are effective ways to alleviate suffering or make a person more comfortable at the end of life through palliative care. This relatively new specialty area of medicine cares for the whole person — physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually — to relieve symptoms and stress that often accompany serious illness or side effects of treatment. A better way forward is to expand the number of palliative care locations and services in all areas of Illinois.

Assisted suicide is not a compassionate solution for those who are suffering. There is a better way forward that truly offers compassionate care and compassionate choices.