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The End of Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act took effect in Illinois on September 12, allowing terminally ill patients to request prescription drugs to hasten death under specific conditions, prompting educational efforts by Catholic and pro-life groups to explain Church teachings and the law's implications. Jozef Zalot, a bioethicist with the National Catholic Bioethics Center, and Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, are among those leading workshops and discussions to help clergy, laity, and families understand and respond to the new law while emphasizing compassionate accompaniment of the suffering.

A federal judge on September 11 issued a temporary restraining order blocking Illinois from enforcing its physician-assisted suicide law against Catholic entities, including Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, two orders of Catholic women religious, and an Illinois pharmacist, who argued the law would force them to facilitate assisted suicides in violation of their faith.

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, two orders of Catholic nuns, and an Illinois pharmacist sued Illinois Sept. 3 over the state's physician-assisted suicide law, which permits physicians to aid terminally ill adults in dying by suicide. The post Cardinal Cupich, women religious, Catholic pharmacist sue Illinois over assisted suicide law first appeared on OSV News .

The judge's order is in place pending the result of two cases under appeal in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, NIFLA v. Treto and Schroeder v. Treto. The post Judge temporarily blocks Illinois assisted suicide law; plaintiffs feel ‘relief, gratitude for now’ first appeared on OSV News .

The Diocese of Springfield and the Pregnancy Care Center of Rockford have appealed to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging an Illinois nondiscrimination law that they say forces them to hire workers who do not share their pro-life beliefs. They argue the law, which includes protections for reproductive health decisions starting in 2025, violates their First Amendment rights by restricting their ability to hire employees aligned with Catholic teachings on life and abortion.

A federal appellate court in Chicago heard arguments in Shroeder et al v. Treto Jr., a case challenging an Illinois law that requires pro-life doctors and pregnancy centers to provide abortion referrals upon request. The case centers on a provision of the state's 2016 Health Care Right of Conscience Act, with pro-life advocates arguing that forced referrals violate First Amendment free speech protections.

Nearly 3,000 pro-life advocates marched at the Illinois State Capitol to oppose a potential constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion and gender transition rights, including for minors, in Illinois. Illinois Right to Life and the Thomas More Society are actively challenging the amendment and preparing a lawsuit against the state's physician-assisted suicide law set to take effect in September.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker launched the $5 million Prairie State Access Fund to support abortion services and attract out-of-state women seeking abortions, making Illinois the top destination for abortion tourism in the U.S. Catholic leaders and pro-life advocates in Illinois have condemned the fund as promoting abortion and criticized its ties to gender-affirming care, urging more compassionate support for pregnant women through church programs.

Illinois Catholic bishops, including Cardinal Blase J. Cupich and Bishops Ronald A. Hicks and Thomas J. Paprocki, support a lawsuit by pro-life pregnancy centers challenging a state law requiring abortion referrals, arguing it violates their First Amendment rights. The lawsuit targets the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, with oral arguments expected in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in early 2026.

Illinois has legalized assisted suicide with Gov. JB Pritzker signing SB 1950 into law, allowing terminally ill adult residents to end their lives with physician-prescribed lethal drugs starting September 2026. The law faces strong opposition from Illinois Catholic bishops and disability advocates who warn it threatens vulnerable populations, raises concerns about coercion, and may increase suicide rates in the state.