Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Springfield Catholic Bishop Thomas John Paprocki is joining a federal lawsuit over Illinois’ “end of life” law.

The suit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District court in Chicago against the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and Secretary Mario Treto, Jr., and the Illinois Department of Public Health, and director Dr. Sameer Vohra.

Other plaintiffs are a doctors’ group and a Lutheran nursing home.

The group says the new law abandons what the lawsuit calls “nearly two millennia of medical practice.”

The suit claims Illinois doctors are now required to help patients kill themselves, even if they conscientiously object to them doing so.

Paprocki, according to an article published to the Catholic news outlet EWTN News, said the law goes against what he claimed is “the God-given dignity of every human life.”

SB 1950 was passed in the House at the end of the Spring legislative session in May, 2025.  The Senate approved it in October, 2025, and was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in December, 2025.  Its effective date would be September 12, 2026.  The suit was filed Tuesday, August 11.

“‘Deb’s Law‘ would allow terminally ill, mentally capable adults with a prognosis of just six months or less to live,” said the sponsor, House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston), in May 2025, “to request from their doctor a prescription for medication that they can then decide to self-ingest so they can die peacefully in their sleep.”  State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Hindsboro) said at that time, “Life is a gift from God, not something for government can discard like the tens of millions of babies that have been slaughtered.”

According to federal court records, a “joint initial status report” must be filed with the court on or before October 26.  No hearings in the suit have otherwise been scheduled.

CLICK HERE to read the full lawsuit (pdf).