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In a significant legal breakthrough, a federal judge has stated that Catholic employers are not compelled to abide by federal laws that would bind them to accommodate workers who need abortions or fertility drugs. The decision impacts over 9,000 Catholic employers nationwide, represented by the Catholic Benefits Association (CBA).
Religious Freedom at the forefront
North Dakota U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor decided this week to award a permanent injunction that prohibits the enforcement of some federal guidelines. The guidelines, which were issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), pertained to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and anti-harassment protections that cover gender identity under sex discrimination.
It is a precarious time for people of religious faith in America. It has been described as a post-Christian age. 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.
Daniel Traynor, U.S. District Judge, North Dakota
The ruling comes from a suit brought last year by the Catholic Benefits Association and the Diocese of Bismarck. They claimed that the EEOC's rule compelled Catholic entities to act against their sincerely held religious beliefs.
"The combined effect of EEOC's pronouncements is that they require CBA Members, contrary to their Catholic faith, to accommodate their employees' abortions and immoral fertility treatments, to use false pronouns when requested by transitioning employees, to abstain from expressing Catholic teaching regarding sexual issues, and to give employees of one sex access to private spaces reserved to those of the other sex." said the Association and the Diocese.
Legal Battle Centered on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
The PWFA, enacted in 2023, mandates that employers make reasonable accommodations for employees impacted by pregnancy, childbirth, or associated medical conditions. In 2024, the EEOC built on the law, publishing a final rule and guidance that encompassed abortion access, gender identity, and associated issues.
However, Judge Traynor ruled with Catholic groups, stating that the law, as interpreted and enforced by the EEOC, infringes religious freedoms under federal law. Traynor underscored that nothing is different from what he first declared in his injunction, and decried the situation as reflective of increasing assaults on religious liberties in the United States.
Concerns About Speech and Religious Expression
In court papers, Catholic institutions said the EEOC guidelines would force them to endorse practices opposing Catholic education, like covering abortion and unorthodox fertility treatments, adopting gender-affirming pronouns, and avoiding the expression of religious opinions on sexuality.
Lawyer Martin Nussbaum, who argued the case for the plaintiffs, described the decision as a win for religious freedom and free speech. "Very thankful to the federal judiciary for vindicating religious freedom rights," he said. He also pointed out the trend in which federal and some state governments attempt to impose "speech codes" that are contrary to religious values.
"One of the things that we've seen is an emerging practice on behalf of some of the federal administrations - we also see this in certain states - a desire not only to mandate immoral benefits but to impose speech codes that would be contrary to Catholic values," such as the commission's harassment guidance, Nussbaum said. "But the speech codes go beyond pronouns to even speaking about what Catholic teaching is, and we're just grateful to this court for protecting the freedom of speech of Catholic organizations as well."
What's upcoming?
The EEOC has not made a public statement about the ruling, but the ruling is significant as a legal precedent. The ruling upholds the rights of religious organizations to hold on to policies that are morally objectionable to them without being compelled to act according to their beliefs.
The Catholic Benefits Association, covering employers with a collective workforce of roughly 164,000 employees, views this as a validation of their constitutional protection in the expanding legal and cultural environment.
Reference:
1. CBS News. "Catholic Employers Don't Have to Accommodate Workers' Abortions and Fertility Treatments, Judge Rules." CBS News, April 18, 2025. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/catholic-employers-workers-abortions-fertility-treatments-judge/.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal Arshad/MSM)
