17 states challenge federal rules entitling workers to accommodations for abortion

By ANDREW DeMILLO
Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Seventeen states are challenging new federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions. Arkansas and Tennessee filed the lawsuit in federal court on Thursday and called the new rules an illegal interpretation of a 2022 federal law. The lawsuit comes days after finalized federal regulations were published on how to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The language means that workers can ask for time off to obtain an abortion and recover from the procedure. The lawsuit argues that the rules go beyond the scope of the law.