Muslim doctors sue Illinois over assisted suicide law

Four Muslim doctors on Wednesday sued Illinois health officials over a new law requiring their involvement in assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. The law took effect Sept. 12. Akbar Ali, Asim Babar, Omar Hussain, and Umar Shakur argued that the law directly violated their religious beliefs, according to court documents.

Illinois’ End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act says doctors who object to participating in assisted suicide must still inform patients about their right to kill themselves and refer them to someone else who can help with the procedure. Additionally, the law requires them to fill out death certificates listing the terminal illness, rather than the fatal drugs, as the cause of death. The law also says that doctors can be civilly or criminally liable for encouraging patients not to end their lives. The doctors argued that the law forces them to break Islamic prohibitions against suicide and lying.

The doctors’ attorneys from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty argued that, in addition to violating the First and 14th Amendment guarantees of freedom of religion and equal protection, the measure breached other existing federal laws. The Affordable Care Act prevents states that receive federal funds from discriminating against anyone who doesn’t provide assisted suicide, attorneys said. They also argued that the Illinois law violates the Americans with Disabilities Act because it requires doctors to recommend suicide to disabled people, but not to non-disabled people, according to court documents.

What are the doctors asking the court to do?

• Permanently shield the doctors from any participation in the assisted suicide process

• Permanently shield them from penalties for encouraging patients to live out the remainder of their natural lives

• Strike down Illinois’ assisted suicide law for violating the First and 14th Amendments and other federal laws

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on temporary exceptions to the Illinois law for some Christian doctors and providers following a lawsuit.