Illinois Governor JB Pritzker meets with Pope Leo XIV
Illinois’ Democratic Governor Jay Robert “JB” Pritzker met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, a fellow countryman from the Land of Lincoln, at the Vatican this week. (Credit: REUTERS – No use of Fox Weather/Outkick)
Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday he was “very disappointed” after his home state of Illinois passed a law allowing medically assisted suicide.
Leo, who grew up in Chicago, said he spoke “explicitly” with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker while the legislation was on his desk and urged him not to sign the bill. He said the measure undermines respect for human life from “the very beginning to the end.”
“Unfortunately, for several reasons, he decided to sign that bill,” Leo told reporters outside Rome. “I’m very disappointed about that.”
The Medical Aid in Dying Act, also known as “Deb’s Law,” was signed into law by Pritzker on December 12 and allows eligible terminally ill adult patients to obtain life-ending medications after consultation with their doctors.
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Pope Leo XIV met with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on November 19 in Vatican City, Vatican City. (Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
The measure is named after Deb Robertson, a lifelong Illinois resident with a rare terminal illness, who had pushed for passage of the bill.
The law will go into effect in September 2026 and will give participating healthcare providers and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) time to implement required processes and protections.
Leo said Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich also urged Pritzker not to sign the bill, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
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Pope Leo XIV said he was very disappointed that Illinois had passed a law allowing medically assisted suicide. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)
“I would like to invite all people, especially in this Christmas season, to reflect on the nature of human life, the goodness of human life,” Leo said. “God became human like us to show us what it really means to live a human life, and I hope and pray that respect for life will grow again in all moments of human existence, from conception to natural death.”
The state’s six Catholic dioceses also criticized Pritzker’s decision to sign the bill, saying it puts Illinois “on a dangerous and heartbreaking path.”
Illinois joins a growing list of states allowing medically assisted suicide. Eleven other states and the District of Columbia allow medically assisted suicide, according to the advocacy group Death with Dignity, and seven more states are considering allowing it.
After signing the bill, Pritzker said the legislation would allow patients with terminal illnesses to “avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives,” and said it would be “thoughtfully implemented” to guide doctors and patients through deeply personal decisions.
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act on December 12, allowing eligible terminally ill adult patients to receive life-ending medications after consultation with their doctors. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
