Illinois will now be the 13th state to give terminally ill people the ability to end their lives with the help of a doctor.
Governor J.B. Pritzker confirmed Friday morning he's signed what's known as "Deb's Law."
The measure was inspired by a cancer patient named Deb Robertson ... who as she's gone through treatment wanted options to maintain control over her life, and how it ends.
It requires a terminally ill adult seeking end-of-life medical assistance to get approval from two doctors over a six-month period.
"These are people who are terminally ill, who are adults who would really want this option," said ACLU Illinois Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs director Khadine Bennett, who worked on the law.
It also lays out penalties for people found to have abused the law by coercing a patient into seeking life-ending drugs.
Amber Smock is vice president of advocacy for the disability-rights group Access Living. She says she's concerned those safeguards won't be enough to protect vulnerable people.
"It's also a felony to commit murder. That doesn't stop people from committing murder," Smock said.
The measure takes effect in September.