In a nation that already creates enormous barriers for people with disabilities, Illinois is considering a new state process that would disproportionately kill disabled people.
Currently under consideration in our state legislature, Senate Bill 9 and House Bill 1328 pose significant risks to disabled people by proposing to allow Illinois doctors to prescribe lethal medication to patients without criminal consequence. This is known to some as medical aid in dying (MAID) and to others as assisted suicide. As a coalition of organizations that work with thousands of Illinoisans with disabilities — and as a group made up of many disabled people ourselves — we urge the public and our state legislature to say no to legalizing assisted suicide in Illinois.
Assisted suicide laws are inherently biased against and dangerous for people with disabilities because of systemic health care inequities. A national survey of physicians found that 82% of doctors believe people with significant disabilities have a lower quality of life. This bias often results in inequitable care and can steer patients toward lethal drugs, rather than the life-affirming treatments and supports they need and deserve.
Annual reports from Oregon and Washington, where assisted suicide is legal, show that the primary reasons for requesting lethal drugs are rooted in disability-related concerns: loss of autonomy, inability to engage in enjoyable activities, feelings of being a burden and loss of dignity — not pain or diminished health. These disability-specific challenges require robust, person-centered in-home and community care — not death.
Assisted suicide systems disproportionately affect people with disabilities, framing disabled lives as less worthy of living.
Together, we call on Illinois lawmakers to reject this harmful legislation and prioritize policies that uphold the dignity and rights of people with disabilities.
Sincerely,
Sebastian Nalls, policy analyst for disability services organization Access Living, and the following organizations:
- Access Living
- ARC of Illinois
- Disability Resource Center
- Easter Seals Joliet Region
- Illinois Catholic Conference
- Illinois-Iowa Center for Independent Living
- Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living
- Illinois Right to Life Action
- Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living
- IMPACT Center for Independent Living
- Lake County Center for Independent Living
- LIFE Center for Independent Living
- Northwestern Illinois Center for Independent Living
- Opportunities For Access (OFA CIL)
- Progress Center for Independent Living
- RAMP Center for Independent Living
- Springfield Center for Independent Living
- United Cerebral Palsy – Center for Disability Services
Letter to the editor: Medical aid in dying has no place in Illinois is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston’s most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.
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April 17, 2025 at 04:28PM
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