Overview
- Plaintiffs filed Kirchoff v. Treto in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12 and asked for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent enforcement of the law before it takes effect on Sept. 12.
- The suit names Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, four Catholic physicians including Dr. Mary Keen, the Lutheran Care Center, and is brought by the Thomas More Society against state health and professional regulators.
- The complaint argues the End‑of‑Life Options Act compels speech and action by requiring objecting clinicians to discuss assisted‑dying’s alleged “benefits,” refer or transfer patients to willing providers, record refusals and requests, and threatens sanctions for conveying so‑called misinformation.
- Plaintiffs say some provisions could force false entries on death records and strip religious institutions of control over staff conduct, and they cite a recent New York case where a narrow order exempted named religious plaintiffs while longer litigation continues.
- If courts grant broad relief it could change how hospitals handle referrals, staffing and counseling and shape whether states balance patient access with conscience protections or press forward with rulemaking and enforcement as the Sept. 12 start date approaches.