GOP States Sue to Invalidate Federal Rule Expanding Workplace Abortion Accommodations

Seventeen states say the federal rule undermines states’ rights to regulate abortion and exposes them to federal lawsuits.
GOP States Sue to Invalidate Federal Rule Expanding Workplace Abortion Accommodations
A woman waits for an abortion consultation at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., on July 20, 2022. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
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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.