Terminally Ill Illinoisians, Advocates Praise House for Passing End-of-Life Options Act (Springfield, IL) – (May 29, 2025) – A Lombard woman dying of a rare and aggressive form of cancer, a Naperville mom whose only son died peacefully after using California’s medical aid-in-dying law, health experts, and advocates today praised members of the House for passing a bill that would allow terminally ill adults the option to request a doctor’s prescription for medication they can choose to take to die peacefully. The bill passed by a vote of 63-42. The End of Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (SB 1950) now moves to the Senate for consideration.
“I am so grateful to the Illinois House for listening to my pleas, and I pray that its members grant me this option — to die peacefully and on my own terms,” said Deb Robertson, a 66-year-old mom and grandmother, and a member of the Illinois End-of-Life Options Coalition. “I urge members of the Senate to grant me my final wish: to die at home, surrounded by my wife and my loving family.”
Callie Riley, Regional Advocacy Director for Compassion & Choices Action Network described the passage as a ‘monumental step forward’ in honoring the rights of terminally ill individuals in Illinois.
“We are so grateful for House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, all of our sponsors, our dedicated legislative champions, and the members of the Illinois House for their leadership in advancing this critical and compassionate legislation,” said Callie Riley, Regional Advocacy Director for Compassion & Choices Action Network. “We are very excited and we look forward to working with the legislators in the Senate to pass this important bill and deliver it to Governor Pritzker’s desk for his signature.”
“We welcome the House’s action on this critical measure,” said Khadine Bennett, Director of Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs for the ACLU of Illinois. “For Deb Robertson and countless Illinois families facing – or who have faced – suffering from a terminal illness, this is a measure of mercy. Simply having access to medical aid in dying – even if they never use it – will provide a level of comfort at the end of their lives.”
Suzy Flack of Naperville, whose only son, Andrew ‘Drew’ Flack, died peacefully at 34 years-old from colorectal cancer after using the End of Life Option Act in California, thanked lawmakers for listening to her son’s last wish. Andrew Flack was a special education teacher who spent his last months of life advocating for medical aid in dying by recording a podcast and recording a video. He died peacefully in his sleep on November 16, 2022 in his home in Southern California.
“Thank you for listening to the voices of the majority of Illinoisians who support this compassionate bill and who want the option to die peacefully in their sleep the way my Andrew died in California,” she said. “I urge legislators in the Senate to touch their hearts and help to pass Deb’s Law so it can go to Governor Pritzker’s office for his signature.”
“The Illinois’ House has taken a huge step towards bringing peace of mind to many terminally ill Illinoisians and their families,” said Nilsa Centeno, mother of the late medical aid in dying advocate Miguel Carrasquillo, a former chef who lived in Chicago who died of an aggressive brain tumor that spread to his liver, stomach, testicles and other vital organs. Carasquillo became a voice for Latinos by advocating for medical aid in dying by recording videos in English and Spanish. Carasquillo suffered before his 2016 death without the end of life option he desperately fought for. He was 35 years-old.
“My son’s death was not in vain,” Centeno said. “I have no doubt Miguelito is smiling in heaven.”
Seven out of 10 Illinois likely voters (71%) want the Illinois legislature to pass medical aid-in-dying legislation, according to a February 2023 Impact Research poll. This majority spans the demographic, political, racial, and religious spectrums, including 87% of Democratic voters, 86% of Latino voters, 73% of voters living with disabilities, 69% of Independent, African American/Black, White, and Catholic voters, 58% of non-Catholic Christians and 50% of Republican voters. In contrast, fewer than one in five Illinois voters (17%) oppose medical aid in dying.
Twelve jurisdictions have authorized medical aid in dying, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, as well as Washington, D.C. Collectively, these 10 jurisdictions represent one out of five U.S. residents (22%) and have decades of combined experience successfully implementing this medical practice, starting with Oregon in 1997.
Terminally Ill Illinoisians, Advocates Praise House for Passing End-of-Life Options Act
