Illinois’ Assisted Suicide Law Preys On The Disabled, Lawsuit Alleges

A new law is under fire for allegedly making it easier for doctors to let disabled patients kill themselves.

A physician, two disabled patients, and multiple advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against Illinois over the state’s incoming assisted suicide law, Capitol News Illinois reported Tuesday. The End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (EOLA) lacks the necessary “guard rails” to protect disabled patients from being discriminated against by physicians, according to the June 11 lawsuit.

“For people with disabilities overall, I don’t think … a safe bet, because just like me, anybody could have an infection and fall prey to doctors who are not as scrupulous as others,”plaintiff Ebony Payne, a quadriplegic from Chicago said. “Many people who can’t or don’t have these opportunities to speak up for themselves … opefully I do a well enough job to help their voice be heard, especially in situations like this.”

“The perception that Ebony is suffering every day, that she is better off dead, is discrimination,” attorney Michael Bien said. “The idea that we can categorize people and say certain people should be eligible for suicide and other people are not is discrimination.”

Democratic Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker