In the context of legal proceedings, a judge safeguards numerous Catholic-affiliated workplaces from being subjected to federal regulations mandating leave for abortion procedures and in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.
Approximately over 7,000 Catholic churches and another 1,380 Catholic employers are under the influence of a provisional decree by United States District Judge Daniel Traynor, a nominee of Donald Trump, based in Bismarck.
The antagonists, the Catholic Benefits Association and the Catholic Diocese of Bismarck, argued that their religious freedoms were being violated as the regulations would necessitate them to support their workers in obtaining abortions or "morally questionable fertility treatments."
Traynor's order challenged the Biden administration's techniques in implementing the new regulations, mentioning "the risk of government interference that is undeniably anti-religion," and asserting that it "need not wait for a legal challenge to cease infringing upon the constitutional rights of American citizens."
While another judge has issued a preliminary ruling against the mandate for abortion accommodations, Traynor's order was the first to focus on the regulations requiring accommodations for fertility treatments, as per the National Women's Law Center. Traynor further postponed the implementation of the transgender protections in the new workplace regulations against the Catholic organizations that opposed the rule.
According to court documents, the Biden administration argued that the regulations, which the EEOC is implementing under a 2022 law called the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, would not infringe upon their religious or free speech rights. However, Traynor concluded that at the very least [the Catholic Benefits Association’s] actions would violate the retaliation provision because the employee would be terminated for opposing the Catholic faith by requesting an accommodation for the action in question.
In a footnote, the judge stated, "Uncontrolled government power generates martyrs like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, imprisoned and executed for speaking out against euthanasia and the persecution of Jews; Miguel Pro, arrested and eventually executed for breaching Mexico’s anti-Catholic Calles Law; and Thomas More, renowned for being executed by the British king for refusing to utter a word."
The Department of Justice declined to comment.
The ruling was earlier reported by LawDork.
The case is one of numerous legal challenges to the regulations established by the EEOC under the PWFA. Another judge, in a separate lawsuit filed in Louisiana, halted the implementation of the abortion accommodation mandates against other Catholic entities, as well as in Louisiana and Mississippi.
On Tuesday, the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which would handle an appeal of Traynor's ruling, is hearing arguments in a separate challenge to the abortion accommodation regulations brought by several Republican-led states. In this case, the trial judge dismissed their challenge, determining that the states did not have the authority to file the lawsuit.
The EEOC rule was contentious from the outset, leading the agency to emphasize that it does not require employers to finance an abortion or provide paid time off for the procedure.
The rule, established in mid-April, obliges most employers to provide "reasonable accommodations" to employees related to pregnancy or childbirth, including offering time off for an abortion. Other protections under the law include time off for recovery from childbirth and prenatal or postnatal appointments as well as accommodations related to seating, light duty, breastfeeding and breaks for food, water and restroom needs.
The question of including abortion in the act's definition of "pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions" triggered a surge of comments to the commission, with about 54,000 urging the commission to exclude abortion and about 40,000 requests to include it.
"With regard to abortion, the PWFA’s requirements are limited and will probably only concern a worker's request for leave from work," the commission stated in an April declaration.
The EEOC also included infertility and fertility treatments in the rule's definition of "pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions."
The ongoing political battle over the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act has seen several judges issue rulings, with Judge Traynor's order focusing on the regulations requiring accommodations for fertility treatments, effectively influencing the realm of [politics].
The antagonists in this case, the Catholic Benefits Association and the Catholic Diocese of Bismarck, voiced concerns about their religious freedoms being violated, highlighting the intersection of [politics] and religious beliefs.
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