Obama admin. defends birth control order as Boehner calls for broader conscience exception
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — On the defensive, the White House scrambled Thursday to explain its requirement that church-affiliated employers cover birth control after House Speaker John Boehner called it unconstitutional and demanded immediate reconsideration.
Under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law, most employers and insurance plans will have to cover birth control free of charge as a preventive service for women. The administration had already ruled that churches and houses of worship do not have to follow that requirement, but officials recently announced that many religious-affiliated institutions such as hospitals, colleges and charities must comply.
The wave of protest that followed has clearly taken administration officials by surprise. Catholic and Protestant evangelical leaders criticized the decision as infringing on freedom of religion. Some religious liberals called it politically risky for Obama in a close election year.
“I think this mandate violates our Constitution,” Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday. “I think it violates the rights of these religious organizations. And I would hope that the administration would back up and take another look at this.” Boehner is Catholic.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the decision will stand.
That’s unlikely to silence critics. Also joining in disapproval was a group that includes Democratic lawmakers who helped engineer final passage of the health care law. The group “Democrats for Life of America” represents anti-abortion lawmakers who provided the margin of victory for passage of the health care overhaul.
“Forcing religious institutions to provide insurance coverage for services that are directly in opposition to their moral beliefs is very clearly wrong,” said Kristen Day, the group’s executive director.
At the White House, Carney defended the decision, saying it was the best policy to promote the health of women, and the president has no intention of trespassing on religious liberty.
“There was extensive and careful consideration as this policy was developed and a decision was made. And the issue here is we want to be sure women, all women, have access to good health care,” Carney said.
Asked if there’s a debate within the administration about reconsidering, Carney responded:
“No, there’s not a debate. … We want to work with organizations for the next year to help them deal with the implementation of the policy but the decision has been made, and it was made after careful consideration.”
