The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas has barred the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing specified Biden-era directives against two Christian organizations. It held August 8 in Dr. James Dobson Family Institute v. Kennedy that provisions related to abortion, fertility, and gender-affirming care violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Dobson Family Institute and United in Purpose (UIP) had challenged:

  • HHS’s inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in sex discrimination;
  • EEOC’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act rule requiring accommodations for abortions and fertility treatments; and
  • EEOC’s Title VII guidance that employers must use pronouns consistent with an employee’s gender identity and allow employees to use restrooms that align with their gender identity.

The court preliminarily enjoined HHS and EEOC from requiring the plaintiffs or UIP’s 65 member organizations to:

  • provide insurance or accommodations for gender-transition procedures, abortions, or infertility treatments;
  • use pronouns inconsistent with a person’s biological sex; or
  • permit access to sex-specific private spaces based on gender identity.

The Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, will host a course on Navigating the Reasonable Accommodation Process.

CWC members can read more here.