Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has issued an urgent plea for Catholics and all people to contact Gov. J.B. Pritzker and demand he veto a controversial assisted suicide bill that pro-life advocates say would endanger vulnerable residents and undermine the sanctity of human life.
The call to action comes just days after the Illinois State Senate approved Senate Bill 1950 in a surprise early-morning vote on October 31, amending the measure onto an unrelated food sanitation bill to legalize the use of lethal drugs for assisted suicide.
The House had passed the underlying bill earlier in the spring, sending it to Pritzker’s desk where it now awaits his signature or veto.
URGENT: Call Gov. Pritzker at 217-782-6830 NOW and demand he VETO SB 1950 to stop assisted suicide from endangering Illinois’ vulnerable!
Paprocki, in a pastoral letter distributed to parishes across central and southern Illinois, decried the legislation as a grave threat to the dignity of the dying and those suffering from illness or disability.
“This bill would allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill patients who request them, ostensibly to end their suffering, but in reality, it opens the door to coercion and abuse,” Paprocki wrote.
He emphasized the moral imperative to protect life at every stage, stating, “As shepherds of the flock, we must speak out against any law that devalues human life and promotes a culture of death.”
The bishop’s letter, read at Masses over the weekend, urged immediate outreach to the governor’s office.
“I ask that you join me in prayer for the governor, that he may have the wisdom and courage to veto this dangerous bill,” Paprocki said. “Contact Gov. Pritzker today at 217-782-6830 and tell him: ‘Veto SB 1950 to protect the vulnerable and uphold the sanctity of life.’ Every voice matters in this critical moment.”
Pro-life organizations echoed Paprocki’s alarm, highlighting the bill’s secretive passage as a tactic to evade public scrutiny.
The Patients Rights Action Fund, a key opponent, described the maneuver as a “surprise move in the early hours of Friday morning” that bypassed years of coalition efforts to defeat similar proposals.
“Legalizing assisted suicide disguised as a sanitation bill undermines long-standing efforts in suicide prevention and could dangerously shift the standard of care in health care facilities,” the group stated in a release.
Barbara Lyons, special projects coordinator for the Patients Rights Action Fund, said the slim 30-27 Senate vote reflects the bill’s divisive nature and the potential for reversal through gubernatorial action.
“Diligent dedicated work was put in for years to defeat the bill by a very strong and large coalition of Illinois organizations and individuals,” Lyons said. “Focus now turns to convince the Governor that he must veto this dangerous bill which will put vulnerable Illinoisians at risk. Our work doesn’t end here, and all our voices will be needed to prevent further movement. When these bills do pass, they are by the slimmest of margins; if you haven’t been involved before, now is the time.”
Critics, including the Illinois Catholic Conference, argue SB 1950 introduces significant risks to vulnerable populations, including individuals with serious illnesses, disabilities and those facing financial hardship.
“Every patient deserves compassionate care and a full spectrum of options to live with dignity,” the Patients Rights Action Fund asserted. “The passage of SB 1950 introducing the use of lethal drugs in Illinois compromises that fundamental right.”
The bill’s history underscores the contentious debate: A prior attempt to legalize assisted suicide stalled in June when proponents attached similar language to a food safety measure that passed the House but failed in the Senate. If signed into law, Illinois would join a handful of states permitting the deadly practice, a development pro-life leaders warn erodes protections for the elderly, disabled and mentally ill while diverting resources from true palliative care.
Paprocki, in his letter, called for a renewed commitment to alternatives that affirm life’s value.
“Instead of hastening death, let us invest in expanding access to mental health services, hospice care and palliative support,” he wrote, aligning with broader calls from opponents to prioritize compassionate end-of-life options over what they term a “slippery slope to euthanasia.”
Pritzker, a Democrat who has championed progressive causes, has not publicly commented on signing the bill as of Wednesday.
