Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois, said Governor JB Pritzker’s legislation that allows terminally ill patients to obtain life-ending drugs is part of Pritzker’s “anti-life agenda.”
“In suit with his anti-life agenda, Pritzker signed sb1950 which will permit physician assisted suicide,” according to Adcock’s post on X. “Normalizing suicide is a wicked agenda. God have mercy on Illinois.”
Adcock’s post was in response to the signing of Senate Bill 1950 by Governor Pritzker. In the same post, Adcock shared a news article from The Center Square detailing the governor’s announcement and the bill’s passage after amendments during the legislative session. The law is set to take effect in September and does not mandate health providers’ participation.
Illinois reports a suicide rate of approximately 12 per 100,000 population, resulting in over 1,500 deaths annually. Rates are notably higher among males and American Indian/Alaska Native groups, with around 511,000 adults experiencing serious suicidal thoughts each year. State prevention programs aim to address these issues amid ongoing debates about policies affecting vulnerable populations.
The United States sees roughly 49,000 suicide deaths annually, with an age-adjusted rate of about 14 per 100,000 population. Firearms are involved in more than half of these cases. Suicide rates have fluctuated recently after earlier increases. With Illinois’ new legislation, it becomes the twelfth jurisdiction in the U.S. to allow physician-assisted suicide.
Adcock founded Awake Illinois as a grassroots organization advocating for parental rights and opposing certain education policies. A University of Illinois graduate and mother of three residing in Naperville, she began her activism during school reopening efforts. She has run for a school board position and serves as chairwoman of the DuPage chapter of Moms for Liberty.
