Legislation to bar doctors and nurses from participating in executions was recently signed into law by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on July 24, 2003. The bill states, “The Department of Corrections shall not request, require, or allow a health care practitioner licensed in Illinois, including but not limited to physicians and nurses, regardless of employment, to participate in an execution.” (SB 0277) The bill is in-step with guidelines established under the Hippocratic Oath, which calls on doctors to do everything within their power to relieve suffering and to prevent death. See Recent Legislative Developments.
Citation Guide
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). Illinois Prohibits Doctors and Nurses from Participation in Executions. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/illinois-prohibits-doctors-and-nurses-from-participation-in-executions
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Illinois Prohibits Doctors and Nurses from Participation in Executions.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 3, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/illinois-prohibits-doctors-and-nurses-from-participation-in-executions.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Illinois Prohibits Doctors and Nurses from Participation in Executions.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/illinois-prohibits-doctors-and-nurses-from-participation-in-executions. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.