Catholics Decry Addition of Abortion to Protection Law

Roman Catholic bishops condemned the Biden administration’s proposed rules that would force employers to make accommodations for women who receive abortions.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Monday issued proposed regulations that defined abortion as one of the “related medical conditions” covered by the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).

The PWFA, which went into effect June 27, established new protections for workers who are pregnant or recently had a child. President Joe Biden, who is Catholic, signed the PWFA into law in December.

Under the EEOC’s draft regulations, employers would need to accommodate women for limitations that arise from “having or choosing not to have an abortion,” Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported.

“The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s proposed interpretation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to include accommodations for obtaining an abortion is wrong and contrary to the text, legislative history, and purpose of the Act, which is to help make it possible for working mothers to remain gainfully employed, if desired, while protecting their health and that of their preborn children,” USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities head Bishop Michael Burbidge, of Arlington, Virginia, said in a statement.

“We are hopeful that the EEOC will be forced to abandon its untenable position when public comments submitted on this regulation demonstrate that its interpretation would be struck down in court.”

The USCCB initially supported the PWFA legislation because “it enhanced the protection of pregnant mothers and their preborn children, which is something that we have encouraged Congress to prioritize.”

“The Act is pro-worker, pro-family, and pro-life,” Burbidge said. “It is a total distortion to use this law as a means for advancing abortion, and the complete opposite of needed assistance for pregnant mothers.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the lead Republican co-sponsor of the legislation, issued a statement that argued the PWFA bill received bipartisan support because it excluded abortion.

“The Biden administration has gone rogue. These regulations completely disregard legislative intent and attempt to rewrite the law by regulation,” Cassidy said.

“The Biden administration has to enforce the law as passed by Congress, not how they wish it was passed. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is aimed at assisting pregnant mothers who remain in the workforce by choice or necessity as they bring their child to term and recover after childbirth. The decision to disregard the legislative process to inject a political abortion agenda is illegal and deeply concerning.”

The PWFA requires that employers make reasonable accommodations for women based on known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical conditions as long as such accommodations do not create an undue hardship on the operations of the business, CNA reported.

The law makes no mention of accommodating women who have abortions.

CNA reported that the EEOC defended its inclusion of abortion as a related medical condition based on previous judicial interpretations of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which the agency argued included abortion as a medical condition related to pregnancy.

The proposed rule will undergo a 60-day public comment period, after which the EEOC can either revise the rules or hold a vote on whether to adopt it.