Catholic cardinal, nuns challenge assisted suicide law in Illinois

The Catholic archbishop of Chicago, two orders of nuns and a rural pharmacist filed a lawsuit against Illinois on Thursday over the state’s End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Little Sisters of the Poor and Morrison, Illinois pharmacist Luke Vander Bleek filed the complaint in federal court against Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director Terry Prince, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Sameer Vohra and Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Secretary Mario Treto, Jr.

The plaintiffs argue the law violates their religious beliefs by forcing them to help terminally ill patients kill themselves.

“The elderly people who come to our homes are looking for a place where they will be cherished and cared for until natural death. They should be free to choose that kind of care without having assisted suicide inserted into it by the state,” Mother Julie Marie, mother provincial of the Chicago Province of the Little Sisters of the Poor said.

On behalf of the plaintiffs, Becket asked the court to block the law before it takes effect Sept. 12, when health care providers who refuse to take part in assisted suicide face significant fines and penalties.

The case follows a similar suit filed last month by Diocese of Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki, the Lutheran Care Center of Altamont, Illinois and four Christian medical professionals.

About 10 days later, on Aug. 21, U.S. District Judge Franklin U. Valderrama issued a temporary restraining order after state officials agreed to not force the parties involved to refer patients for medically-assisted suicide until the courts rule on the pending challenge to the law.

Plaintiffs in the new case filed Thursday said Illinois also threatens religious caregivers for speaking a life-affirming message against suicide by imposing a gag order on their care.

Senate Bill 1950 was initially filed to amend the Sanitary Food Preparation Act, but the bill text was gutted and replaced just before lawmakers passed the measure at the end of the 2025 fall veto session ended.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed SB 1950 last Dec. 12 on the Catholic feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Later that month, Pope Leo XIV said he was very disappointed and that he spoke explicitly with Pritzker about the legislation when the governor visited Rome in November.

Jonathan Bilyk and Sean Reed contributed to this story