A federal court in Illinois expanded a block against the state's assisted suicide law to protect nearly every Catholic health care institution in Illinois from being forced to participate in the law. The temporary order includes entities such as the Catholic Medical Association and numerous Catholic healthcare affiliates in the Diocese of Springfield while a lawsuit against the law proceeds.
A federal court issued a temporary restraining order preventing Illinois from penalizing Catholic hospitals and religious health workers who refuse to participate in the state's assisted-suicide law, including the requirement to inform terminally ill patients about obtaining lethal medication. This order protects nearly every Catholic health care institution in Illinois, including those in the Diocese of Springfield, until an appeals court rules on related cases.
Catholic bishops and religious sisters in New York and Illinois have filed lawsuits against their states' assisted suicide laws, winning temporary court rulings that prevent enforcement of these laws against them while litigation continues. These lawsuits argue that the laws compel Catholic healthcare providers to violate their conscience by participating in or promoting assisted suicide, which the Church opposes as contrary to its mission and moral teachings.
The state agreed to a federal court order amid a suit brought by the Diocese of Springfield and Bishop Thomas Paprocki. The post Court blocks Illinois assisted suicide mandate for religious objectors – for now first appeared on Angelus News .