GOP States Sue to Invalidate Federal Rule Expanding Workplace Abortion Accommodations

A coalition of Republican-led states filed a lawsuit on Thursday to invalidate a federal rule that would force them to make accommodations for workers under a rule traditionally meant to protect pregnant women that was recently expanded to include abortions. Tennessee and Arkansas, joined by 15 other states, argue that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has overstepped its authority by interpreting a federal law to require employers to accommodate workers’ abortions. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas argues that the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) aimed to safeguard pregnant women in the workplace through basic accommodations like extra restroom breaks, not to mandate accommodations for abortions....