Federal Judge Strikes Down St. Louis Abortion Discrimination Act

In recent years, some states and municipalities have expanded their civil rights laws to make it illegal for employers to discriminate against someone on the basis of a “reproductive health decision.” In effect, these laws make women who have received, performed, or advocated for abortion or other reproductive choices a protected class. Expanding civil rights protections in this manner is ambitious and controversial. And last week, a federal court in Missouri put some strong limitations on St. Louis’s abortion discrimination ordinance.