Federal Judge Denies Bid to Block Illinois Aid-in-Dying Law
A federal judge has denied a request from disability rights advocates to block an Illinois law that permits terminally ill patients to obtain prescription medication to end their lives. The law, known as the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act, is set to take effect this weekend. The lawsuit, filed by two disabled patients, a doctor, and several disability and patients' rights organizations, alleged that the law violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Affordable Care Act, and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp rejected the argument that doctors would begin inviting disabled patients to consider medical aid in dying, citing provisions in the law that exempt healthcare professionals from any duty to provide such care and state that only willing professionals shall do so.
