In a significant affirmation of religious liberty, a federal judge has struck down a regulation from the Joe Biden administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that compelled businesses to align with what many see as a radical agenda surrounding abortion.
This contentious rule, conceived by Biden’s allies at the EEOC, mandated employers to offer leave for abortion-related matters and implement practices that many business owners, particularly those of the Catholic faith, found to be in direct conflict with their core beliefs.
Judge Daniel Traynor, a Trump appointee serving on the District Court of North Dakota, delivered a decisive ruling that frees approximately 9,000 Catholic businesses from adhering to this controversial mandate.
Previously, Judge Traynor had issued a preliminary injunction against the rule, which he has now formalized as a permanent injunction.
In his ruling, Traynor criticized the Biden administration, asserting, “The law forces individuals to choose between expressing sincerely held beliefs and compliance, resulting in irreparable harm. Upholding constitutional rights is always in the public interest.”
The Washington Stand highlighted how the Biden EEOC manipulated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) into a pro-abortion instrument, redefining “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions” to encompass everything from abortion to contraception and fertility treatments—actions that blatantly contradict Catholic teachings.
The administration went beyond mere promotion of abortion; they broadened the law’s scope to include “current pregnancy, past pregnancy, potential pregnancy, lactation, use of birth control, menstruation, infertility treatments, endometriosis, miscarriage, stillbirth, or the choice surrounding abortion.”
As reported by The Washington Stand:
In 2023, the EEOC under President Biden released new regulations effectively rewriting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) to encompass abortion. The original PWFA language required protections for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.” However, the EEOC’s new rule significantly expanded this definition to incorporate “current pregnancy, past pregnancy, potential pregnancy, lactation (including breastfeeding and pumping), use of birth control, menstruation, infertility and fertility treatments, endometriosis, miscarriage, stillbirth, or having or choosing not to have an abortion, among other conditions.”
This inclusion of abortion effectively negated the pro-life intent of the law, and the explicit mention of fertility treatments also contradicted the religious convictions of many Catholics.
The Catholic Diocese of Bismarck and the Catholic Benefits Association, representing 9,000 Catholic businesses, contended that the EEOC rule infringed upon the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
According to Catholic Votes, the Catholic Benefits Association (CBA) celebrated the judge’s decision as “a monumental victory,” announcing in a press release that the court “provided permanent protection against the EEOC’s attempts to compel Catholic employers and others to accommodate abortion, IVF, or surrogacy, while also eliminating single-sex spaces and adopting preferred pronouns.”
Doug Wilson, CEO of the CBA, stated, “Our repeated legal victories clearly showcase the robustness of our strategy and highlight the misguided nature of efforts to undermine our faith-based initiatives.”
“This ruling upholds the rights of our more than 9,000 members to continue their ministries in service to others in accordance with their faith.”
Wilson further emphasized, “Guided by their Catholic principles, our members contribute countless hours and resources to serve society each year, motivated by love for Jesus Christ and humanity.”
“This ruling allows us to continue our mission without the fear of the EEOC pursuing us for adhering to our beliefs.”
