Advocates race against clock to stop medical-aid-in-dying law

Advocates race against clock to stop medical-aid-in-dying law

Legal challenges to Illinois' medical-aid-in-dying law are coming down to the wire as the law is set to go into effect Saturday.

Why it matters: A federal judge denied disability rights advocates' motion to block the state's new law, but some are still fighting it on religious grounds.

Catch up quick: Two people with life-threatening disabilities, Ebony Payne and Pam Heavens, joined disability rights organizations and a doctor in suing Gov. JB Pritzker in June.

  • They said the new law opens the door for individuals' disabilities to be considered life-threatening when they may not be and could cause health care professionals to encourage patients to end their lives.

    • The latest: U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp Jr. of the Northern District of Illinois on Thursday denied the plaintiffs' motion for an injunction.

  • Tharp ruled that the plaintiffs failed to establish they have a future injury traceable to the law's implementation and that they did not demonstrate irreparable harm without an injunction.

    • The other side: "As someone with disabilities, I am disappointed that it removes the duty of physicians in Illinois to 'do no harm' and sets up a system where a physician can assist in killing a patient without oversight or accountability," plaintiff Ebony Payne told Axios in a statement.

  • "The judge gave our legal team 30 days to show why the case should not be dismissed, and I plan to work with them in seeking justice to stand up for my rights and the rights of other vulnerable patients."

    • Earlier this month, Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns also sued Illinois officials over the law, arguing it violates their religious beliefs.

  • A status hearing on that case is set for November.
  • A group of physicians and Catholic Church leaders filed a separate lawsuit last month and were granted a temporary restraining order, barring state officials from penalizing the plaintiffs for refusing to discuss medical-aid-in-dying care with patients while the case continues to play out in court.

    • Zoom in: Pritzker signed the bill, also referred to as "Deb's Law," in December 2025.

  • Qualified patients must have a terminal illness that will result in death within six months, as determined by two doctors, be informed of all their end-of-life options, and make written and oral requests to receive the aid-in-dying medication.
  • They must have the mental capacity, confirmed by their physician, to make medical decisions.
  • Deb's Law makes it a felony to coerce another person to medically end their life.

    • No physician, health care provider, or pharmacist is required to participate in aid-in-dying, but they must inform patients of all end-of-life care options.

    Zoom out: Medical aid in dying is legal in 13 states and Washington, D.C.

    Editor's note: This story has been updated with a comment from Ebony Payne.