On December 12, 2025, amid the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, Deb’s Law (SB 1950) was quietly signed into law in Illinois. The law will take effect in September 2026; it legalizes self-administration of “aid-in-dying” pharmaceuticals by individuals with a terminal diagnosis who are predicted to have six months or less to live. The language used to describe assisted suicide sounds compassionate and dignified—even noble. And certainly, compassion is needed in end-of-life scenarios. Those who’ve spent long hours by the bedside of a suffering loved one know how excruciating final moments can be. Sometimes, prayers for healing turn to prayers for God to mercifully end the suffering. Yet in the fog of sorrow and difficult decisions, Christians should resist the cultural tide of euthanasia that undermines the value of human life. Instead, we should value God’s gift of life even amid suffering. Incorrect Diagnosis Years ago, I visited an octogenarian church member, Joan, in the hospital. She’d just been told by doctors that her time was short. Her family had been called in to say their final goodbyes. I left the hospital room that day thinking it’d be the last time I saw her this side of glory. I was wrong. She rebounded. Not a little but a lot. Seven years after I thought I’d seen her for the last time, I went to visit her at her assisted-living facility. When she wasn’t in her room, I was astonished to find her down the hall in the exercise room lifting weights. Joan ended up enjoying 10 more years. She was such an encouragement, often writing notes and prayers to her church family. Thankfully, the well-meaning doctors were wrong about Joan’s remaining time. It’s a good reminder that only God knows the future. Improper Anthropology Support for assisted suicide relies on a distorted view of humanity. Though it’s often cloaked in compassionate language, assisted suicide is, at its heart, an attempt by humans to “be like God” (Gen. 3:5). Since the first temptation in Eden, humanity has sought to seize authority over matters of life and death. By God’s design, we’re dependent, contingent creatures. Human beings weren’t designed to be in control. It’s God who numbers our days (Ps. 139:16). When an individual seeks to end his own life, it demonstrates his unwillingness to submit to the Author of Life. Support for assisted suicide relies on a distorted view of humanity. In our culture, assisted suicide blurs the distinction between humans and animals. As many pet owners have experienced, sometimes it’s tragically necessary to euthanize an animal. Yet humans are distinct from all the other animals in creation, because we bear the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Corrupted Truth Beyond concerns about the value of human life, assisted suicide laws also undermine a culture’s concept of truth. For example, Deb’s Law stipulates that “when a death has occurred in accordance with this Act, the death shall be attributed to the underlying terminal disease” (section 90). Rather than admit the immediate cause of death, officials are required to point to the terminal diagnosis. Additionally, Deb’s Law redefines the term “suicide.” Though self-administering a lethal drug is clearly a form of suicide, the law states, “Death in accordance with this Act shall not be designated a suicide or homicide.” The law tacitly affirms the immorality of taking one’s own life by redefining the terms that describe it. These pragmatic stipulations in the law allow life-insurance benefits to be paid out. They also prohibit those facilitating the assisted suicide from being criminally charged. Yet laws that blur the truth should give everyone pause. Ironically, the new law also states that the individual requesting life-ending pharmaceuticals must fill out a consent form accurately “under penalty of perjury” (section 30). A mere administrative formality, no doubt, but it points to the importance of truth for a healthy society. Mistaken Dignity Proponents of assisted suicide argue it brings dignity to death. But some things in this fallen world can’t be dignified, no matter what language we use. Death is a gruesome enemy of humanity. The ultimate solution to it can only be found in the resurrection of our Lord. One of the dangers of assisted suicide is that it treats the intentional prescription of a lethal drug as a normal medical procedure. Yet medicine has traditionally been viewed explicitly as an attempt to heal, not harm, which is why the classical Hippocratic oath forbade giving “a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it” or making “a suggestion to this effect.” It’s good for doctors, nurses, and families to do all they can to give dignity and mercy to those suffering, because human life is sacred. But death cannot be dignified, only conquered, and that only by the One who “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). Culture of Resistance Currently, 12 states and the District of Columbia already have assisted suicide laws on the books. New York will likely be the 13th state. Christians in the other 37 states have an opportunity to resist the spread of euthanasia both politically and culturally. This can be accomplished, in part, by affirming the value of human life from conception to natural death. Death cannot be dignified, only conquered. We can also continue to build resilience in our congregations by caring well for the elderly and sick. Our church family experienced beauty in suffering as we cared for Phil, a farmer who slowly lost all his strength to ALS. For three years, church members mowed his yard, and shared conversation with him. They also prayed, laughed, and cried with his wife, Linda. The lyrics to “Christ Is Mine Forevermore”—“Mine are keys to Zion city / Where beside the King I walk”—took on new meaning as the congregation sang them with Phil in hope. Believers truly can find beauty and joy even in end-of-life suffering. The more effective we are in caring for those who know they’re nearing the end of life, the less likely those individuals are to seek premature death. Moreover, the inefficient, costly, tender care of the dying by believers points those around us to the value of human life and our hope for the life to come.