Articles
Miss. Lawmakers Call Out Biden Administration's Extreme Abortion Agenda
Washington,
October 13, 2023
Tags:
Life
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Senate Pro-Life Caucus Chair Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and U.S. Representatives Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) and Michael Guest (R-Miss.) this week signed a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sounding the alarm on the agency’s attempt to impose an abortion mandate on employers through the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).
Signed by 20 Senators and 41 House members, the letter asserts that the proposed rule not only goes against the text and purpose of the PWFA, but it also exceeds the EEOC’s authority. “As Members of Congress, we support policies to ensure women are provided with access to necessary accommodations in the workplace during pregnancy to support the health of both the woman and her unborn child. This was the goal of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), and we write to share our strong opposition to the illegal imposition of abortion mandates in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) proposed regulations, published on August 11, 2023, to implement the PWFA,” the Members wrote. In the proposed rule, the EEOC inaccurately determined abortion is included in the definition of “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition.” The rule would mandate employers provide a “reasonable accommodation” for abortion, including paid leave, unpaid leave, or transfer to a position in another state, to seek an abortion at any stage in pregnancy up until birth, even for employers in States that prohibit most abortions. “In these regulations, the EEOC has moved far beyond the power delegated by Congress. The Commission was directed to implement a bipartisan law designed to provide accommodation protections for pregnant women in the workforce. Instead, it has sought to impose an unconstitutional nationwide abortion mandate on employers,” the Members continued. “We urge you to remove abortion mandates from the scope of this rule, protect employers with religious and moral objections, and finalize a rule that accurately reflects the congressional mandate to promote healthy pregnancies and childbirth, not abortion.” U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) and U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-N.J.) coordinated the letter to EEOC Executive Officer Raymond Windmiller. It was submitted as a part of the public comment process on the EEOC proposed rule. Read the full letter here. |