Cardinal Cupich, religious sisters, pharmacist sue Illinois over physician-assisted suicide law
Caroline MolloyChicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, two orders of Catholic religious sisters and an Illinois pharmacist filed a federal lawsuit Sept. 3 challenging provisions of the state’s physician-assisted suicide law on religious-freedom grounds.
The plaintiffs include the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Little Sisters of the Poor and pharmacist Luke Vander Bleek. They argue that requirements associated with Illinois’ End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act would compel them to take actions that conflict with their Catholic beliefs.
Their attorneys say the challenged provisions would require objecting health-care providers to give patients information about assisted suicide or participate in referrals, while pharmacists could be required to fill prescriptions for life-ending drugs or refer patients elsewhere.
The lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to prevent enforcement of those requirements against the Catholic plaintiffs.
Since Zeale’s original Sept. 4 report, the case has moved forward. On Sept. 11, with the state’s agreement, a federal judge temporarily blocked Illinois from enforcing the challenged assisted-suicide requirements against these plaintiffs while the litigation continues.
The law took effect Sept. 12. The temporary order is limited to the plaintiffs in this case and does not resolve the broader constitutional questions raised in the lawsuit.
