In a win for religious freedom, a federal judge has ruled that the government cannot force Catholic employers to pay for and support employees receiving abortions.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor issued a preliminary injunction on Monday, preventing enforcement of the religiously discriminatory Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).
“It is a precarious time for people of religious faith in America. It has been described as a post-Christian age,” said Judge Traynor. “One indication of this dire assessment may be the repeated illegal and unconstitutional administrative actions against one of the founding principles of our country, the free exercise of religion.”
The PWFA demands that any employers with 15 or more employees must provide accommodations such as time off for employees to obtain abortions or other treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, along with the Catholic employer advocacy group the Catholic Benefits Association (CBA), sued the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The plaintiffs argued that the regulations violate the religious freedom of Catholic employers by forcing them to support abortion, IVF, and radical gender ideology.
Although IVF is supported by mainstream conservatives such as President Donald Trump, it is strictly prohibited by Catholic social teachings.
“As part of its religious beliefs, the Bismarck Diocese teaches certain ideas and practices are morally unacceptable including abortion, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, gender ideology, ‘transgender affirmation through use of false pronouns,’ and ‘improper access to single sex spaces,'” said Traynor in his ruling.
Traynor issued a preliminary injunction exempting 7,100 Catholic parishes and more than 1,380 CBA member employers from the religiously discriminatory portion of the PWFA.
“This challenge to religious liberty is a reminder of the danger of government action that is clearly anti-religion. It should not take a legal challenge for the Agency to stop violating the constitutional rights of Americans. Wisely, our founders provided a separate but equal branch to keep this lawlessness in check,” said Traynor.
The PWFA was established in 2022 under the Biden-Harris administration and has faced numerous similar lawsuits from conservatives and religious groups opposed to abortion.
The preliminary injunction is not a permanent solution to the lawsuit. It simply prevents enforcement while the plaintiffs await a final decision in their case.
The final ruling could overturn the injunction and force compliance with the regulation.
