Trump-Appointed Judge Strikes Down Mandate For Abortion Accommodations At Work

A Trump-appointed judge ruled Wednesday that employers are not obligated to provide workers with time off for abortion procedures, striking down a controversial Biden-era regulation.

U.S. District Judge David Joseph of the Western District of Louisiana ruled that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s regulation — implemented during the Biden administration — exceeded its authority by including abortion among pregnancy-related conditions requiring job protections, The Associated Press reported.

The EEOC’s rule implemented the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which was passed in December 2022 with bipartisan support. The law requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide “reasonable accommodations to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions,” according to its text.

The rule polarized the public upon its introduction. The EEOC received around 54,000 comments urging the commission not to include abortion in the definition and 40,000 comments calling for the opposite.