House speaker vows to stop Obama contraceptive rule
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday denounced President Barack Obama's new rule on contraceptives as an assault on "religious freedom" and vowed to stop it.
The controversy centers on a provision in the 2010 healthcare law that requires health insurance to cover basic birth control services for women - even at Catholic charities, hospitals and universities. Boehner said Obama should reverse the rule and Catholic bishops contend the policy infringes on religious liberty because the church does not condone birth control of any kind.
"This attack ... cannot stand and will not stand," Boehner, the top U.S. Republican in Congress, vowed in a speech on the floor of his chamber.
At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney said Obama will seek to ease concerns of critics but intends to implement the rule to give women access to contraceptives.
"There are ways to approach this that would ensure that the rule is implemented so that women have access to these important healthcare services no matter where they work, but also hopefully would allay some of the concerns," Carney said.
Boehner said if the president refuses to rescind the measure, Congress will do so through the legislative process.
While Boehner may be able to get such a measure through the Republican-dominated House, he could face problems in the Senate, which is controlled by Obama's fellow Democrats.
The rule has drawn fire from religious leaders and a number of politicians, including Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
With the matter threatening to explode into a major election-year fight, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he and fellow Senate Democrats support the president.
Backers of Obama's new rule say employees of faith-based groups should have access to birth control services in their health insurance coverage.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, an outspoken opponent of the rule, said he and fellow Senate Republicans were considering their options.
"The short answer is that we're discussing the appropriate response," McConnell told reporters after a closed-door meeting with his members.
The Obama administration said on Tuesday it is willing to work with church-affiliated employers to implement the new policy, which was finalized on Jan. 20. But the administration gave no indication it would reverse course.
During the weekend, clergy from the Catholic Church, which considers contraception a sin, called for congregations across the country to pressure Obama to back down.
Boehner said, "Americans of every faith and political persuasion have mobilized in objection" to the rule, which he said "constitutes an unambiguous attack on religious freedom."
Boehner said, "This rule would require faith-based employers ... to provide services they consider immoral," including, "sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and devices, and contraception."
