Republican attorneys general from seventeen states filed a lawsuit on Thursday, arguing that federal regulations granting employees time off for abortions are unlawful because they misinterpret a statute that was passed in 2022.
Since completed federal regulations were published on April 15 to offer direction to companies and employees on how to execute the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, Tennessee and Arkansas have been leading the case.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia are the additional states that have joined the lawsuit.
According to the phrase, employees may request time off in order to get an abortion and recover from the procedure. On a party-line vote, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission adopted the rules, which take effect on June 18.
The case, filed in federal court in Arkansas, claims that the requirements beyond the parameters of the 2022 statute, which was enacted with the support of both parties.
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“This is yet another attempt by the Biden administration to force through administrative fiat what it cannot get passed through Congress,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin stated. “Under this radical interpretation of the PWFA, business owners will face federal lawsuits if they don’t accommodate employees’ abortions, even if those abortions are illegal under state law.”
One of the strongest supporters of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, A Better Balance, described the lawsuit as a flimsy attempt to undermine the rights granted by the legislation.
According to the EEOC, time off for recuperation or to attend medical appointments is the most common accommodation requested, as it does not require payment of time off.
The law does not require employers or employer-sponsored health plans to pay for abortion-related expenses.
