A federal judge blocked the state government of Illinois from enforcing a new assisted suicide law against Roman Catholic plaintiffs as a lawsuit over the policy proceeds.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago and two orders of nuns asked a federal court to protect the plaintiffs from the assisted suicide law, per a release from legal advocacy group Becket.
The order from U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama was issued one day before the law entered into effect on Sept. 12.
“This order means they can continue caring for patients according to their faith without being forced to assist with suicides or punished for speaking a life-affirming message against suicide,” Becket said in the release.
Last week, a federal judge blocked Illinois from enforcing its assisted suicide law against Catholic nuns, the Archdiocese of Chicago, and a pharmacist—allowing them to continue caring for the terminally ill without violating their conscience. @EWTNews https://t.co/iayfFuk8eG
— BECKET (@becketfund) September 15, 2026
The organization noted that the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and the Little Sisters of the Poor focus on caring for sick and dying patients in Illinois.
“All of them serve patients according to their Catholic faith, which calls them to heal and protect human life, not end it,” the release continued.
According to Becket, the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act in Illinois would compel healthcare providers to tell patients about their so-called right to access assisted suicide.
They must also “help them qualify for lethal drugs, and pass them along to someone willing to help them obtain those drugs,” per Becket.
Luke Vander Bleek, a pharmacist who was also a party to the lawsuit, would be required to fill prescriptions enabling patients to end their own lives, or refer patients to a pharmacy that would offer the substances instead.
Becket said the law threatens healthcare providers who try to convince patients out of pursuing assisted suicide with accusations of coercion.
That means a nun could not tell a patient, “Don’t kill yourself. Jesus loves you. Your life is precious.”
“All I want is to serve my neighbors as a pharmacist while remaining faithful to my Catholic beliefs,” Vander Bleek said in a statement.
“This agreement means I can keep doing exactly that when the new law takes effect, without being forced to fill prescriptions for suicide drugs.”
Mark Rienzi, the president of Becket, as well as the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said that “it’s hard to imagine a more blatant attack on religious freedom than forcing Catholic nuns to help people commit suicide.”
“Illinois was right to agree to the court’s order,” he added.
“We look forward to ending this mandate for good and protecting the right of patients to spend their final days with those who will offer them compassionate, life-affirming care.”
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