Dive Brief:
- A bill introduced April 3 would prohibit regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act from applying to abortion or abortion-related services.
- Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., introduced the “Love Them Both Act,” H.R. 2644, which was referred to the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Committee on House Administration. Full text was not available at the time of publication.
- If implemented, the bill would nullify parts of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s PWFA rule, which includes accommodations related to abortion.
Dive Insight:
Rep. Miller’s bill joins other challenges to EEOC’s embattled final rule. In a post on X, Miller said that covering abortion under PWFA “directly contradicts its purpose,” which is to “support new mothers and their children — not fund the destruction of innocent life.”
Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, which calls itself the “conservative conscience of the House,” added a statement in support of the bill as well.
“I’m proud to support Rep. Mary Miller’s Love Them Both Act, which stops […] regulatory overreach by ensuring pregnancy accommodations support life, not end it, while ensuring the PWFA returns to its intended purpose of helping pregnant workers continue working safely as they prepare for childbirth,” Pfluger said. “No one should be forced to choose between their conscience and complying with federal law.”
EEOC’s rule — particularly its abortion-related stipulation — has been the subject of several lawsuits since it went into effect last year. Several judges have enjoined the agency from enforcing those parts of the rule on a handful of states and religious employers.
Additionally, EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas has announced her disagreement with the interpretation of the rule that includes abortion protections, and has said she intends for the agency to revisit it when it reestablishes a quorum.
