Secular Groups Respond to Obama Administration’s Broadening of Religious Exemptions to Birth Control
February 2, 2013
By Hemant Mehta
Under the Affordable Care Act, churches didnt have to provide employees with birth control they (wrongly) believed caused abortion but other non-profit religious institutions, like Catholic hospitals and Christian colleges, were not exempt. Owners werent allowed to deny female employees access to comprehensive health care because of their personal religious views. That led to a number of lawsuits against the Obama administration claiming that they were violating religious freedoms.
As of yesterday, though, a new set of rules would accommodate more religious organizations so that theyre under no obligation to take care of their female employees themselves.
The governments new offer, in a proposed regulation, has two parts.
Administration officials said it would more simply define the religious organizations that are exempt from the requirement altogether. For example, a mosque whose food pantry serves the whole community would not have to comply.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/02/02/secular-groups-respond-to-obama-administrations-broadening-of-religious-exemptions-to-birth-control-rule/