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February 10th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda FRIDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) — Facing a firestorm of
criticism from Catholic leaders, the Obama administration on Friday said
it will adjust its health care guideline mandating that religious
employers provide women with access to birth control.
In a shift from the current policy, the White House is now saying that
these employers will not have to extend free access to birth control, but
that insurance companies will be made directly responsible for doing
so.
Women who request birth control will still be able to get it free of
co-pays or premiums, but universities, hospitals and other institutions
with religious affiliations can refuse to cover it, leaving the woman’s
insurance company with the responsibility of coverage.
In a press briefing Friday morning, an unnamed senior administration
official called the move “an accommodation” to religious groups objecting
to the policy, which still allows women access to birth control.
“We still have the exemption for employees at churches,” the official
said. “But all women will have access to free preventive care, including
contraception, no matter where they work. That’s the core principle that’s
at stake here.”
The change appears to be the Administration’s attempt to satisfy both
sides on the issue — religious leaders who object to providing
contraception to employees, and those who wish to see that all women
retain free access to birth control.
During a lunchtime press briefing, President Barack Obama explained the
new position further.
“No woman’s health should depend on who she is or where she works or
how much money she makes,” CNN reported Obama as saying. But “the
principle of religious liberty” is also at stake. “As a citizen and as a
Christian, I cherish this right.”
“Under the rule, women will still have access to free preventive care
that includes contraceptive service no matter where they work,” Obama
said, according to USA Today. “That core principle remains. But if
a woman’s employer is a charity or a hospital that has a religious
objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health
plan. The insurance company — not the hospital, not the charity — will
be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive care free of
charge without co-pays, without hassle.”
The White House first found itself embroiled in a political fight with
Catholic Church officials after a Jan. 20 announcement that all
religious-affiliated employers, with the exception of churches and other
houses of worship, would have to cover free birth control as part of
routine preventive care for women. These institutions were given until
August 2013 to comply with the rule.
The announcement last month quickly met with a heated response from
Catholic leaders nationwide, and Republican leaders in Congress promised
quick legislation in Congress to stop the move. The decision also became
a flashpoint for the presidential election race, as Obama’s opponents
labeled him as attacking religion. On the other side, groups representing
women and health advocates pressured Obama to stand firm.
Under the revised plan, religious employers need not offer
contraception or refer women to places that might provide it. In these
cases, however, the woman’s insurance company must fill in the gap and
cover contraception free of charge.
The rule is in keeping with the Obama administration’s health care
reform law, which requires most insurance plans to cover women’s
preventive health services with no co-pay, starting Aug. 1, 2012.
More information
For more on birth control, head to the Alan
Guttmacher Institute.
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