Judge rules that federal agency can’t enforce abortion rule in Louisiana and Mississippi

By ALEXANDRA OLSON AND CLAIRE SAVAGE
AP Business Writers

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Monday granted the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as employers in two Southern states, temporary relief from complying with a federal rule that would have required them to provide workers with time off and other accommodations for abortions. Judge David Joseph granted the preliminary injunction in two consolidated lawsuits, one brought by the attorneys general of Louisiana and Mississippi, and the other by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic University and two Catholic dioceses. The lawsuits challenge the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s regulations stating that 2022 Pregnant Workers Fairness Act covers abortion.