Illinois Court Blocks State from penalizing Catholic Hospitals that Refuse to provide Assisted Suicide

Israel Duro:

A federal court has barred Illinois from penalizing Catholic and religious hospitals that operate as healthcare providers for refusing to participate in the state's assisted suicide law. The ruling also allows them to refuse to inform patients how to obtain medication to end their lives.

District Judge Franklin U. Valderrama issued a temporary restraining order last week preventing the Department of Financial Professionals Regulation and the Department of Public Health from enforcing the state law against the plaintiffs....

The End-of-Life Options Act (EOLO) stipulates that healthcare providers who refuse to inform patients about the alleged "benefits" of assisted suicide, refer those who request it to professionals willing to provide the service, provide information that the state considers "misinformation," or record deaths resulting from lethal prescriptions as caused by the underlying illness, face fines of up to $10,000, loss of license, and possible criminal charges.