A federal court has barred the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from enforcing specified Biden-era directives against two Christian organizations. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas 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.
In the case, Dobson Family Institute and United in Purpose (UIP) challenged:
- HHS’s expansion of sex discrimination under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity;
- EEOC’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act rule requiring accommodations for abortions and fertility treatments, even if these practices conflict with religious beliefs; and
- EEOC’s Title VII guidance suggesting 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 granted the plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment and preliminarily enjoined HHS and EEOC from requiring the plaintiffs or UIP’s 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.