By Miranda Mobley, Juicy Ecumenism.
The Illinois State Senate recently passed a bill that legalizes assisted suicide, what advocates of the practice now characterize as “medical aid in dying” (MAID). Should Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker sign the legislation into law, the state will be the 13th jurisdiction in the U.S. to legalize assisted suicide. The bill permits Illinois residents, given a terminal diagnosis of less than six months to live from a terminal illness, to request a lethal dose of drugs to self-administer in order to end their lives.
Proponents of the bill argue that allowing terminally ill patients the right to choose their time of death gives them control, dignity, and alleviates their suffering. Opponents warn of a slippery slope that could lead to normalizing suicide and creating a society that views the elderly and infirm as burdensome.
Of the jurisdictions that have already legalized some form of MAID (eleven states and the District of Columbia), several have already seen amendments that lifted earlier restrictions. These amendments include eliminating state residency requirements, reducing informed consent requirements, and shortening mandatory waiting periods of reflection.
These amendments are not anomalies but rather a pattern, according to the Rev. Canon Georgette Forney, director of Anglicans for Life, a Pro-Life para-church ministry that advocates for end-of-life care.
In countries including Canada, the Netherlands, and Belgium, MAID legislation has become increasingly permissive. The Netherlands now allows for minors as young as twelve to ask for MAID; Belgium allows MAID for the mentally ill. Canada has passed, although delayed the implementation of, a bill that would similarly allow those with mental illness, such as depression, to ask for assisted suicide.