The Land of Lincoln, and Home State of the Pope, Opts for Suicide

Today, as expected, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed assisted suicide into law.

To add insult to injury, he does so on a Catholic Marian feast day, Our Lady of Guadalupe, pretty universally recognized as one honoring unborn life: Mary appeared to a Mexican peasant pregnant. He also does so shortly after meeting with the Chicago-born pope, who, as you might suspect, is Catholic and opposed to the killing of patients by their doctors.

As the Chicago Sun-Times points out:

Republicans roundly opposed the bill, which passed the Illinois Senate by a bare-minimum 30-27 majority Oct. 31, and passed the House with only three votes to spare last spring.

Mary Kate Zander, president of Illinois Right to Life, wrote in First Things:

As is characteristic of Illinois Democrats when they want to see an unpopular bill become law, the vote was called in the middle of the night on the very last day of the session. It scraped by with the exact number of “yeas” needed to pass.

It wasn’t just religious and pro-life and partisan opposition. Disability groups, who are the most personally concerned that they are vulnerable to assisted suicide, opposed it, as did coroners.

Of course, when you look north to how “medical aid in dying” (as proponents call it) has played out in practice in Canada, it’s out of control. It affects anyone who has ever been depressed, down-and-out financially . . . Killing people is easier than figuring out how to get life back on track.

In practice, there are no safeguards that can adequately protect people from the pressure to “choose” assisted suicide. Who among us has never felt like a burden to others? Or never wants to feel like a burden?

The Catholic Conference of Illinois made the obvious point:

“It defies common sense for our state to enact a 9-8-8 suicide hotline, increase funding for suicide prevention programs and then pass a law that, based on the experience of other jurisdictions, results in more suicide,” Catholic Conference leaders said in a November statement.

It makes no sense. And those who are suicidal, without seeking doctors’ help, will know it.

The governor signed it without fanfare. As if he knew it makes no sense. If people really thought about it and its implications for each and every person who finds himself or herself vulnerable in front of a doctor, they’d be horrified — and scared.

God forgive us.

The Illinois law goes into effect in September 2026. The Prairie State is the twelfth to legalize assisted suicide. Unfortunately, New York is expected to be next to fall deeper into the culture of death. Keep praying that a baptismal instinct kicks in for Governor Kathy Hochul, who graduated from Catholic University’s law school. Miracles can happen. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.