Catholic employers don't have to accommodate workers' abortions and fertility treatments, judge rules

Bismarck, N.D. — More than 9,000 Catholic employers don't need to abide by federal regulations protecting workers who seek abortions and fertility treatments under a ruling issued this week by a federal judge in North Dakota.

Last year, the Catholic Benefits Association and the Bismarck Diocese sued the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying it issued regulations and guidelines that "ran roughshod" over their religious rights.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor later granted a preliminary injunction to temporarily block the commission's final rule for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and enforcement guidance for harassment protections for workers that includes gender identity under sex-based discrimination.