LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (NEWSnet/AP) — Republican attorneys general from 17 states filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging federal rules entitling workers to time off related to abortions, calling the rules an illegal interpretation of a 2022 law.

The lawsuit led by Tennessee and Arkansas comes since finalized federal regulations were published April 15 to provide guidance for employers and workers on how to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

The other states joining the lawsuit are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia.

The language means workers can ask for time off to obtain an abortion and recover from the procedure. The rules, which the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission adopted on a 3-2 vote along party lines, go into effect June 18.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Arkansas argues the regulations go beyond the scope of the 2022 law that passed with bipartisan support.

“This is yet another attempt by the Biden administration to force through administrative fiat what it cannot get passed through Congress,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement. “Under this radical interpretation of the PWFA, business owners will face federal lawsuits if they don’t accommodate employees’ abortions, even if those abortions are illegal under state law.”

A Better Balance, one of the most vocal advocates for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, called the lawsuit a baseless attack on the law’s protections.

The EEOC has said the law does not obligate employers or employer-sponsored health plans to cover abortion-related costs, and that the type of accommodation that most likely to be requested is time off to attend a medical appointment or for recovery, which does not have to be paid time off.

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