State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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90_HB1750

      740 ILCS 180/1            from Ch. 70, par. 1
          Amends the Wrongful Death Act. Permits a civil action  to
      enjoin a health care professional or other person from aiding
      a  suicide.   Permits certain relatives and heirs of a person
      who  committed  suicide  or  attempted  suicide   to   obtain
      compensatory   or   punitive   damages  from  a  health  care
      professional or other person who assisted in the  suicide  or
      attempted suicide. Effective immediately.
                                                    LRB9004623DJcdA
                                              LRB9004623DJcdA
 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  Wrongful  Death  Act by changing
 2    Section 1.
 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section   5.   The  Wrongful  Death  Act  is  amended  by
 6    changing Section 1 as follows:
 7        (740 ILCS 180/1) (from Ch. 70, par. 1)
 8        Sec. 1. Cause of action.
 9        (a)  Whenever  the  death  of a person shall be caused by
10    wrongful act, neglect or default, and  the  act,  neglect  or
11    default  is  such  as  would,  if  death had not ensued, have
12    entitled the party injured to maintain an action and  recover
13    damages  in  respect thereof, then and in every such case the
14    person who or company or corporation which  would  have  been
15    liable  if death had not ensued, shall be liable to an action
16    for damages, notwithstanding the death of the person injured,
17    and although the death shall  have  been  caused  under  such
18    circumstances  as  amount in law to felony.  No action may be
19    brought under this Act if the decedent had brought a cause of
20    action with  respect  to  the  same  underlying  incident  or
21    occurrence  which  was  settled  or  on  which  judgment  was
22    rendered.
23        This  amendatory  Act of 1995 applies to causes of action
24    accruing on or after its effective date.
25        (b)  For the purposes of subsections (b) through (g):
26             (1)  "Attempts to commit suicide" means any act done
27        with the intent to  commit suicide and which  constitutes
28        a substantial step toward commission of suicide.
29             (2)  "Licensed  health  care  professional"  means a
30        physician licensed to practice medicine  in  all  of  its
31        branches  under  the  Medical  Practice  Act  of  1987, a
                            -2-               LRB9004623DJcdA
 1        podiatric physician licensed under the Podiatric  Medical
 2        Practice  Act  of  1987,  a  physician assistant licensed
 3        under the Physician Assistant Practice  Act  of  1987,  a
 4        registered  nurse  or  practical nurse licensed under the
 5        Illinois Nursing Act of 1987, a  dentist  licensed  under
 6        the   Illinois  Dental  Practice  Act,  or  a  pharmacist
 7        licensed under the Pharmacy Practice Act of 1987.
 8             (3)  "Suicide" means the act or instance  of  taking
 9        one's own life voluntarily and intentionally.
10        (c)  A  person  commits inducement to commit suicide when
11    he or she does either of the following:
12             (1)  Coerces another to commit suicide and the other
13        person commits or attempts to commit suicide as a  direct
14        result   of   the  coercion,  and  he  or  she  exercises
15        substantial control over the  other  person  through  (i)
16        control  of  the  other  person's  physical  location  or
17        circumstances;  (ii)  use  of  psychological pressure; or
18        (iii) use of actual or ostensible  religious,  political,
19        social, philosophical, or other principles.
20             (2)  With  knowledge  that another person intends to
21        commit or attempt to commit  suicide,  intentionally  (i)
22        offers and provides the physical means by which the other
23        person  commits  or  attempts  to  commit suicide or (ii)
24        participates in a physical act by which the other  person
25        commits or attempts to commit suicide.
26        (d)  The  lawful  compliance  or  a good-faith attempt at
27    lawful compliance with the  Illinois  Living  Will  Act,  the
28    Health  Care  Surrogate  Act,  or  the Powers of Attorney for
29    Health Care Law is not inducement  to  commit  suicide  under
30    paragraph (2) of subsection (c).
31        (e)  A licensed health care professional who administers,
32    prescribes, or dispenses medications or procedures to relieve
33    another  person's  pain or discomfort, even if the medication
34    or procedure may hasten or increase the risk of  death,  does
                            -3-               LRB9004623DJcdA
 1    not  commit  inducement to commit suicide under paragraph (2)
 2    of subsection (c) unless the medications  or  procedures  are
 3    knowingly  administered,  prescribed,  or  dispensed to cause
 4    death.
 5        (f)  A cause of  action  for  injunctive  relief  may  be
 6    maintained  against  any person who is reasonably believed to
 7    be about to violate or who is  in  the  course  of  violating
 8    subsection (c) by any person who is:
 9             (1)  The  spouse,  parent,  child, or sibling of the
10        person who would commit suicide.
11             (2)  Entitled to inherit from the person  who  would
12        commit suicide.
13             (3)  A  provider  of  health  care to the person who
14        would commit suicide.
15             (4)  The Attorney General or the State's Attorney of
16        the county in which the violation is believed to be about
17        to occur or in which the violation is occurring.
18        (g)  A person entitled to obtain injunctive relief  under
19    subsection  (f),  other  than the Attorney General or State's
20    Attorney, may seek compensatory  or  punitive  damages  in  a
21    civil   action   brought   against  a  licensed  health  care
22    professional or other individual who violates or attempts  to
23    violate  subsection  (c)  of this Section, whether or not the
24    person bringing the  civil  action  consented  or  had  prior
25    knowledge  of  the  violation.  If the person prevails in the
26    civil  action,  he  or  she  shall  be   awarded   reasonable
27    attorney's fees.
28    (Source:  P.A. 89-7, eff. 3-9-95.)
29        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
30    becoming law.

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