Catholic Nuns Take Illinois to Federal Court Over New Law
Most folks picture nuns praying in quiet cloisters, but two orders of Catholic sisters in Illinois are now in federal court to stop a state law. They say the law forces them to help terminally ill patients kill themselves. This legal battle kicked off after Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the measure back in December 2025. The law is set to take effect on September 12, and the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act is its official name.
The lawsuit names three state agencies as defendants, including the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The Carmelite Sisters for the Age and Infirm and the Little Sisters of the Poor are the two orders suing the state.
They aren’t alone in this fight, either. Chicago’s archbishop, Cardinal Blase Cupich, joined the lawsuit, fighting alongside an Illinois pharmacist as well. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed the suit on their behalf, arguing the law violates the Church’s teachings on the dignity of life.
The core issue here is simple but very serious. The state wants healthcare workers to dispense lethal drugs, and the nuns say this goes against their faith and mission. Mark Rienzi, the lead attorney for the healthcare providers, spoke clearly on this point when he said Catholic nuns must not be forced to assist patients in suicide.
According to the Daily Signal, the law threatens to fine those who refuse. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says direct euthanasia is morally unacceptable, noting that normal lives ought to be supported for those who are sick or handicapped. Cardinal Cupich says the Gospel calls us to uphold human dignity from life’s start to its natural end.
🚨First New York. Now Illinois. Another state is trying to force nuns and other Catholic healthcare ministries to betray their faith by facilitating assisted suicide—and this time, Illinois is threatening to punish them for speaking their life-affirming mission.
— BECKET (@becketfund) September 3, 2026
He added that Catholics oppose efforts to push brothers and sisters toward suicide. He prays that courts will protect their freedom to care for the sick. The lawsuit alleges the law forces the government to put suicide into the conversation, creating a situation where patients deserve the freedom to seek healing without such pressure.
This fight for life connects to another story of nuns building something lasting. In Fairfield, Pennsylvania, a group of Discalced Carmelite sisters is raising $100 million. They plan to build a monastery that will last a thousand years. Per reports, they want to use old-world techniques like stone masonry and timber framing.
These sisters are cloistered and live hidden from the outside world, yet Catherine Bauer, their director of marketing, says their prayer life shows in the stone walls. Joe Bonifate, a contractor who joined the project, said he instantly fell in love with the work, noting that creating beautiful things shapes you, according to his belief.