Lutheran Care Center, oncology and rehabilitation physicians, and a Catholic bishop have filed a federal lawsuit against Illinois state officials challenging the state’s recently passed End-of-Life Options Act, also known as Deb’s Law.
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The lawsuit claims that the act, which will go into effect Sept. 12, “legalizes assisted suicide and mandates that physicians who conscientiously object to it nonetheless promote its alleged ‘benefits’ to ‘terminally ill’ patients and, if requested, refer or transfer those patients to someone who is ‘able and willing’ to help them commit suicide.”
Lutheran Care Center is a nonprofit facility that offers a variety of skilled care, such as nursing and rehabilitation services, as well as senior living care options and child care. The ministry and physicians say they cannot comply with the law’s requirements because of their moral and religious objections to “facilitating suicide in any way.”
The plaintiffs argue that the End-of-Life Options law would compel them to speak about the “so-called benefits” of assisted suicide as a “treatment option,” in violation of their First Amendment rights, and they are seeking injunctive relief from those provisions.
If the injunctive relief is granted, it will apply only to the named plaintiffs because of a Supreme Court decision prohibiting “universal” injunctions, according to Michael McHale, senior counsel at the Thomas More Society, the public interest law firm representing the plaintiffs.
However, if granted, an injunction would “send a clear message that enforcement against any similarly situated health care professional or facility likewise violates the Constitution,” McHale said.
McHale compared the scope of the Illinois law’s provisions to those of other states, including New York, Oregon, Washington and California.
“Illinois’ law uniquely violates conscience rights and forces all health care providers, including people of faith, to tout the so-called benefits of killing yourself. Washington, Oregon and California do not require that conscientiously objecting physicians refer for assisted suicide,” McHale said.
New York’s law, which is being challenged by the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious nursing homes, has a broader exemption for objecting physicians, he said. The New York law requires providers at such health care facilities to discuss the “so-called benefits” of assisted suicide, but it includes an exception for those willing to refer patients to other providers for the procedure, McHale told MinistryWatch.
When asked about the broader implications of the law for Christian ministries, McHale opined that they are broad and serious.
As written, the law “strips autonomy from Christian health providers and expects them to violate the core tenets of their faith,” he said.
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In addition to the alleged violations of First Amendment protections for free speech and free exercise of religion, McHale believes the Illinois End-of-Life Options law violates health care providers’ right to associate with those who share their beliefs — “meaning the right to hire and require that individuals share [their] faith and values.”
Illinois has not yet filed its answer to the lawsuit.
In a December 2025 press release about the law, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said: “I have been deeply impacted by the stories of Illinoisans, or their loved ones, who have suffered from a devastating terminal illness, and I have been moved by their dedication to standing up for freedom and choice at the end of life in the midst of personal heartbreak.
“Today, Illinois honors their strength and courage by enacting legislation that enables patients facing debilitating terminal illnesses to make a decision, in consultation with a doctor, that helps them avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives. This legislation will be thoughtfully implemented so that physicians can consult with patients on these deeply personal decisions with authority, autonomy and empathy,” he added.
In the MinistryWatch database, the Thomas More Society earns a Donor Confidence Score of 62, meaning donors should exercise caution when giving to the organization.
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