Recently, the Illinois legislature approved a bill that would legalize so-called physician-assisted suicide in the state. The bill now rests on Governor JB Pritzker’s desk, and he has until November 30 to decide whether to sign it into law.
He shouldn&#8217;t. In fact, he should veto it.
No matter how much advocates attempt to paint euthanasia as “compassionate,” the truth stands: Euthanasia, no matter what form it takes, creates a culture of death, jeopardizing — not protecting — the most vulnerable in society.
Look at Illinois’s bill, for example. If passed, it would allow physician-assisted suicides for individuals who are suffering from a terminal illness and have been given less than six months to live. As a result, advocates have painted it as a way for the already dying — and only the already dying — to secure “death with dignity.” 
Yet the bill limits do nothing to make it more ethical than legislation that allows for euthanasia of anyone at any time.  
Every human life has value, no matter how much time that life has left. Ending a life, no matter what stage that life is at, does not give it dignity — it devalues it, treating it as worthless and disposable. 
Even if that weren’t true, allowing assisted suicide in any circumstances lays the first stone in creating a “culture of death” that spreads throughout society. 
Look at Canada. While their assisted suicide program allegedly began to help people in extreme circumstances secure death with dignity, it’s now expanded so much that it allows for same-day suicide for a broad range of conditions, including mental illness. As a result, rates of suicide have grown exponentially, increasing 13-fold between 2016 and 2022 and totaling a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-system-services/annual-report-medical-assistance-dying-2023.html">shocking 15,343 in 2023</a>.  
Physician-assisted suicide has reached such a point in the U.K. that (former) Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9dn42xqg4o">said last year</a> that he “worried people would feel compelled to ask to die if they felt like a burden.” 
Any legalization of assisted dying “opens the way to it broadening out,” Welby said, causing people who aren’t terminally ill to ask for it or feel “pressured to ask for it.” 
That hurts the entire society — but it’s especially harmful to the most vulnerable, including those, like my daughter, with disabilities. In a society that treats life as meaningless and treats imposing a burden on someone else as a reason to die, those with disabilities and mental illnesses are sure to fall prey. 
In Canada, they already are — a fact highlighted in stories like that of Alan Nichols, a 61-year-old who was involuntarily committed and then euthanized within a month. Such stories paint a grim picture of a society that treats patients not as people, but as objects to be discarded; the second caring for them would require effort.  
Those with disabilities should know they don’t have to throw their life away simply because of the challenges their disability poses. Their lives have value. 
Ending a human life, any life, is wrong — regardless of whether that life belongs to someone close to death, to someone with a disability or mental illness, or to someone who simply feels isolated or lonely. Governor Pritzker should veto Illinois’ dangerous legislation and reaffirm the American principle that every human — no matter who they are — has a right to life.
* * *
Mary Vought is the Vice President of Strategic Communications of The Heritage Foundation and a former member of the National Council on Disability.
The Heritage Foundation is listed for identification purposes only. The views expressed here are personal and do not reflect an institutional position for The Heritage Foundation or its Board of Trustees.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at dailywire.com/blackfriday.

US-POLITICS-CRIME-TROOPS-CHICAGO

Illinois Is About To Legalize Assisted Suicide. Why Governor Pritzker Must Veto It.

Assisted Suicide

Canada

Democrats

Euthanasia

Heritage Foundation

Illinois

J.B. Pritzker

After taking a surprising lead in the faith-focused Iowa caucuses, presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg is now being discussed as a Democratic Party presidential frontrunner. But despite being a self-proclaimed Christian, Buttigieg’s rhetoric and policies undermine rather than support religious liberty.
Buttigieg has unabashedly embraced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-house-democrats-equality-act-both-josh-hammer">Equality Act legislation</a> that would strike a massive blow to our nation’s religious institutions. Specifically, the Equality Act would create a federally protected status for gender identity, defined as the “gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth.”
Any faith-based establishment — including churches, schools, and hospitals — with theological beliefs in conflict with this definition would likely face expensive legal battles, lawsuits, and public scrutiny. Case in point: A <a href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-wa-and-peacehealth-agree-settle-lawsuit-involving-transgender-healthcare" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-wa-and-peacehealth-agree-settle-lawsuit-involving-transgender-healthcare&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1581100427416000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGAth8sOEO3vpXX7ZIu4u4Xmi5vXA">Catholic hospital</a> was sued last year by the ACLU because it would not perform a risky sex-change surgery on a 16-year-old girl.
Unfortunately, the Equality Act would coerce health care and mental health professionals into providing dangerous gender-transition treatments for young children and adolescents, counter to their medical advice — and for many, against their religious beliefs.
Just as alarming, Buttigieg has imposed litmus tests based on what he deems theologically acceptable. We witnessed this first-hand when the former South Bend, Indiana mayor attacked Second Lady Karen Pence for teaching at a private school that adheres to her Judeo-Christian belief about marriage. In response, Buttigieg ridiculed the Pences and likened their religious views to that of “<a href="https://twitter.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1086297780514115585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1086297780514115585&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2019%2F11%2F11%2Fwhy-pete-buttigieg-is-the-most-destructive-candidate-for-christianity%2F" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1086297780514115585?ref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%257Ctwcamp%255Etweetembed%257Ctwterm%255E1086297780514115585%26ref_url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fthefederalist.com%252F2019%252F11%252F11%252Fwhy-pete-buttigieg-is-the-most-destructive-candidate-for-christianity%252F&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1581100427416000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGwUBGJvLf5CXMJu3hcs6dg6abQ5g">Pharisees</a>.”
As a private institution, like thousands of such private schools that have long existed in our country, the school where Mrs. Pence teaches has the right to govern its school according to its own religious beliefs. Islamic schools, Buddhist schools, and Jewish schools are also free to do so under the United States Constitution.
As an individual running for our nation’s highest office, Pete Buttigieg is signaling how a Buttigieg administration would handle religious liberty. And his signals should frighten many.
When explicitly asked about religious freedom, Buttigieg <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/10/10/buttigieg_religious_freedom_makes_god_smaller_when_used_used_as_an_excuse_to_harm_other_people.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/10/10/buttigieg_religious_freedom_makes_god_smaller_when_used_used_as_an_excuse_to_harm_other_people.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1581100427416000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGJ6Rk7gZclZ3HMbhwVWW9qPgHRiw">claimed</a>, “the right to religious freedom ends where religion is being used as an excuse to harm other people.” He gave no further explanation of his definition of “harm,” placing the ironclad religious protections that our nation has valued for generations at considerable risk under his vague interpretation.
Our founding charter, the Constitution, defends and supports the belief that America was established on the freedom of ALL religions. Furthermore, it is not just freedom afforded to spiritual individuals to put their trust in religious faith or belief. Rather, it is an essential aspect of a well-ordered society to respect that human beings are made in the image of a higher power and should be able to order their lives around their personal religious beliefs.
Mayor Pete has ignored that right, choosing instead to weaponize his beliefs as a litmus test against the beliefs of others. If an individual or entity gets in his way, he will marginalize them — no questions asked.
This complete disregard for our nation’s freedom isn’t how freedom actually works. Our rights aren’t good enough when a leader deems them acceptable to their standards; they stand on their own because the Constitution says so.
&nbsp;
Ms. Vought is executive director of the <a href="https://www.senateconservatives.com">Senate Conservatives Fund</a>. Her husband, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/russ-vought">Russ</a>, is acting director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.

Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg Begins Bus Tour Across NH Ahead Of Primary

Menu

Mary Vought

Illinois Is About To Legalize Assisted Suicide. Why Governor Pritzker Must Veto It.

VOUGHT: Pete Buttigieg Is No Friend Of Religious Liberty