Overview
- A coalition of disability and patient‑rights organizations filed federal lawsuits in New York and Illinois on Thursday, June 11, seeking to stop the states’ recently enacted medical aid‑in‑dying statutes from taking effect.
- The complaints allege violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Fourteenth Amendment by arguing the laws discriminate against people with disabilities by offering prescriptions instead of equal access to care.
- New York plaintiffs have asked a federal judge for a temporary restraining order to halt enforcement before the state law’s Aug. 5 effective date, while the Illinois law is set to take effect on Sept. 12.
- Named plaintiffs include national groups such as the National Council on Independent Living and Not Dead Yet, local independent living centers and individuals like Chicago plaintiff Ebony Payne, who say service shortfalls make the laws dangerous.
- The filings expand a coordinated multi‑state legal campaign that follows suits in California, Colorado and Delaware and could shape how other states balance end‑of‑life choice with nondiscrimination and care‑access obligations.