Catholic Leaders Sue Illinois to Stop New End-of-Life Law

A group of Catholic leaders and religious groups filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday to stop a new Illinois law from taking effect. The law, called the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act, is set to start on September 12. It would allow doctors to prescribe medicine that terminally ill patients can take to end their own lives. The plaintiffs — the people filing the lawsuit — say the law goes against their religious beliefs and violates their rights.

The people suing include Cardinal Blase Cupich, who leads the Catholic Church in Chicago, two groups of Catholic nuns, and a pharmacist from downstate Illinois. They are suing three Illinois state officials who are in charge of enforcing the law. The lawsuit was filed just over a week before the law was supposed to begin. Two groups of nuns named in the suit are the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, signed the law in December after a long debate at the state Capitol. The Catholic Church was one of the strongest voices against the law during those debates. Illinois is now one of at least 11 states, plus Washington, D.C., that allow medical aid in dying. When he signed the bill, Governor Pritzker said the law would help terminally ill patients avoid unnecessary pain and suffering.

Under the law, a terminally ill patient is someone a doctor says has six months or less to live. To get the life-ending medication, the patient must be at least 18 years old and live in Illinois. The patient has to make two separate spoken requests to their doctor, with at least five days in between. The patient must also submit a written request signed by two witnesses who confirm that the patient is acting freely and is mentally sound.

The lawsuit argues that the law conflicts with an existing Illinois rule that bans offering to help someone commit suicide. The suit also says the law breaks federal rules that stop the government from using federal money for end-of-life options. The plaintiffs point to studies they say show that suicide rates go up in states where medical aid in dying is legal, especially among older adults and veterans. They also argue that the law puts veterans at special risk.

Catholic plaintiffs say the law forces them to make an unfair choice between their faith and their jobs. They argue that the law requires Catholic doctors and nurses to tell patients about end-of-life options, even if doing so goes against their beliefs about the value of human life. The plaintiffs say this violates the First Amendment, which protects freedom of religion and freedom of speech. They also say the government cannot force them to speak positively about something that goes against their faith.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, known as the ACLU, supports the law but is not part of the lawsuit. ACLU spokesperson Edwin Yohnka said the law does not force anyone to participate in medical aid in dying. He said the lawsuit tries to impose the values of the plaintiffs on all people in Illinois without considering what dying patients may want. The ACLU argues that religious freedom does not give one group the right to control the choices of others.

The lawsuit also claims that the law breaks several other federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Affordable Care Act. The plaintiffs' lawyers are asking the court to declare the law unconstitutional and to immediately stop it from being enforced. This is not the first legal challenge — two separate lawsuits were filed in June trying to block similar laws in Illinois and New York. Pope Leo XIV has also spoken out, saying he was very disappointed when Governor Pritzker signed the law.