The Catholic Benefits Association, et al. v. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission

Overview

(U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, September 23, 2024): The U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from enforcing certain provisions of the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) against certain Catholic employers across the country. The PWFA protects employees from discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The EEOC interprets the PWFA as including protections for employees seeking abortion care or fertility treatments, like IVF. Employers are not required to provide medical care coverage for abortion care or fertility treatments but may not discriminate against an employee with regard to using medical or other leave for those purposes. The Catholic employers deem abortion and fertility treatment immoral and argued that applying the law to them would violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) designed to protect religious liberty. The Court was persuaded by the argument and found that the PWFA likely violates RFRA. Read the full opinion here.

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