WASHINGTON – Responding Feb. 10 to opponents of the administration’s rule requiring most health insurance plans to cover contraceptive services, President Barack Obama announced a new policy that expands the religious accommodation and requires insurance companies to offer contraceptive services free of charge directly to employees at religious institutions that object to providing them.
Under the previous rule, churches were exempt, but other religious nonprofits, including hospitals and universities were not. The administration had set Aug. 1, 2013, as the date to work out compliance with such entities. Some Catholics and others, including the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, said the rule needed to be broadened.
On the announcement of the new rule, Baptist Joint Committee Executive Director J. Brent Walker reiterated a statement he made earlier in the week that religious liberty concerns extend beyond churches and houses of worship.
“This is a positive step in protecting the right of religious institutions to define themselves and accommodate religious conscience,” Walker said. “Leaving room for the health care needs of women — Catholic and non-Catholic alike — to get the coverage they deserve is also important.
“Religious freedom is the first freedom and must be protected. At the same time we must be mindful of the health care needs of all employees. This is a win-win solution,” Walker said.
