Judge grants temporary protection to Catholic health institutions in Illinois

A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order on October 5 that protects several Catholic health organizations and individuals from Illinois' physician assisted suicide law. The ruling by Judge Franklin Valderrama of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois allows these plaintiffs to continue practicing their professions without being forced to refer terminally ill patients to other providers for lethal prescription drugs.

The Thomas More Society, a Catholic public interest law firm, added the Illinois Catholic Health Association, the Catholic Medical Association, the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, the National Association of Catholic Nurses, and the Catholic Psychotherapy Association, Inc., as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Illinois secretary of financial and professional regulation and the director of public health. Two individuals were also added to the suit.

Under the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act, which began on September 12, medical professionals who object to assisted suicide must refer patients to other providers and facilitate the rapid transfer of medical records. The temporary order prevents these plaintiffs from facing fines or sanctions, such as losing medical licenses, for describing the law as physician-assisted suicide.