In a landmark win for religious liberty, a U.S. district judge has permanently blocked the federal government from forcing Catholic employers to provide accommodations for abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF)—two practices that the Catholic Church firmly opposes as morally unacceptable.
The Tuesday ruling from North Dakota District Judge Daniel Traynor marks a sweeping legal victory for the Catholic Benefits Association and the Diocese of Bismarck, affirming their right to uphold Catholic teaching in the workplace without federal interference. Judge Traynor declared that the Biden administration’s enforcement of a revised rule under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) would “violate [the] sincerely held religious beliefs” of the plaintiffs and directly conflict with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
“This is a tremendous and precedent-setting win for the Church and for religious freedom in America,” said Dave Uebbing, spokesman for the Catholic Benefits Association, in a statement to Catholic News Agency (CNA). “It protects not only our current members, but future members and even the organizations that do business with them.”
The federal rule, introduced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in April 2024, attempted to force employers to accommodate workers’ decisions to undergo abortions or IVF treatments. These additions, under the guise of pregnancy-related protections, sparked immediate outcry from the U.S. Catholic bishops and Catholic institutions across the nation.
The Catholic Benefits Association and the Diocese of Bismarck filed their lawsuit last June. A preliminary injunction was granted in September, and now, Judge Traynor’s ruling makes that protection permanent—marking a historic moment in the fight to preserve conscience rights for Catholic organizations.
“This decision is unprecedented,” Uebbing emphasized. “It even extends to third-party health plan administrators working with Catholic employers, meaning they too are shielded from complying with anti-life mandates that contradict Catholic values.”
Catholic leaders have been unified in condemning the EEOC rule as a distortion of the original intent of the PWFA—a law initially seen as a pro-life advancement. Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend had warned last year that the EEOC had “twisted the law in a way that violates the consciences of pro-life employers by making them facilitate abortions.”
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which is pursuing a parallel lawsuit alongside the Catholic University of America and several dioceses, welcomed the ruling but underscored the need for continued vigilance. Their case, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, is still ongoing.
“This is a promising step forward,” said Becket spokesman Ryan Colby, “but more protection is necessary.”
The bishops had previously denounced the EEOC directive as “indefensible,” arguing that abortion is neither pregnancy nor childbirth. In formal comments submitted before the rule was finalized, they wrote: “Abortion is not ‘related’ to pregnancy or childbirth as those terms are used in the PWFA because it intentionally ends pregnancy and prevents childbirth.”
This week’s court order confirms what faithful Catholics have long maintained: that no employer should be forced by the federal government to violate their deeply held moral and religious beliefs.
As the cultural and legal battle over life, family, and conscience continues, this ruling stands as a beacon of hope—and a powerful reminder that the Constitution still protects the freedom to live and work according to the truth of the Catholic faith.
