Catholic physicians and clergy sue to halt Illinois assisted-suicide law

Four Catholic physicians and several clergy members have brought a 73-page complaint in federal court to stop the Illinois End-of-Life Options Act from becoming operative. They claim the statute compels them to violate the Hippocratic oath and infringes on their First Amendment freedoms of speech and religion by mandating discussion of assisted-suicide benefits. The suit also alleges violations of the Fourteenth Amendment’s due-process and void-for-vagueness requirements, noting ambiguous language about “intentionally misleading” information.

Governor JB Pritzker signed the law in December 2025, and it will become effective on September 12, requiring doctors to prescribe medication for terminal patients who wish to end their lives and to keep extensive, non-public records of each case. Critics point to requirements that physicians list the underlying illness, not suicide, on death certificates and to maintain detailed logs for up to 60 days after death. The plaintiffs cite other states where similar laws do not impose counseling duties, referencing Oregon’s earlier experience and related Supreme Court rulings.