'I hope Gov. Pritzker signs it' woman behind 'right to die' bill says
Chicago area woman fights for 'right to die" bill | The Chicago Report
Illinois legislators passed a bill to give terminally ill patients end-of-life options last week. The bill is also called Deb's Law, named after a suburban woman, Deb Robertson, who is dealing with terminal cancer.
LOMBARD, Ill. - Deb Robertson says she's elated that Illinois is one step closer to becoming the 11th state in the country to legalize medical aid in dying, also known as 'the right to die act.'
"It's been a long road, but we've made progress and I'm hopeful Governor Pritzker will sign this bill as soon as possible," Robertson said.
Local perspective:
Robertson has been fighting a rare and deadly form of cancer, called neuroendocrine carcinoma, for three years. She says the disease has begun to progress more rapidly.
"I am now experiencing tumors in my brain and having radiation on that," she said. "I'm currently on my seventh type of treatment and continuing to fight every day to live."
The bill passed on Friday on the last day of the Illinois General Assembly's fall Veto session. It is now on Gov. JB Pritzker's desk. He did not say whether or not he'd sign it, but said he understood why proponents felt so strongly about it.
"I know how terrible it is that someone in the last six months of their lives can experience terrible anguish," Pritzker said. "It hits me deeply and makes me wonder how we can alleviate the pain that they're going through."
The legislation has split physicians, some of whom believe it violates their hippocratic oath to 'first do no harm.' Robertson said the bill offers several protections to make sure it is ethically and rarely used.
The patient who wishes to die would have to be terminally ill, would need the sign off of two physicians, and would have to have a mental health screening. Though Robertson has been fighting to advance the legislation, she said she's not sure if she would utilize the option to die on her own terms quite yet.
"I'm fighting to live, so there's no need for me to use this option today," Robertson said. "But my body is declining and I might need it in the future."