President Obama Shifts Birth Control: Attack on Religion or Move of Protection?

Insurance companies will now be ordered to provide workers at religious affiliated institutions with free family planning if they request it, without having to involve their employer. The controversial move has sparked outrage from the Catholic Church, republicans and other social conservatives."Today, we have reached a decision on how to move forward. Under the rule, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services no matter where they work, so 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 hassles. The result will be that religious organizations won't have to pay for these services and no religious institution will have to provide these services directly..."Polls indicate a majority of Americans and Catholics support the rule. The policy shift is aimed at defusing the controversy and preventing it from becoming a liability for Obama's re election campaign.