The Obama adminstration
announced on 20 January, 2012, that it would proceed with plans
to force employers to pay for insurance coverage for
"contraceptive services" (which include surgical
sterilization and potentially embryocidal and
abortifacient drugs and devices). Various
religious groups protested strenuously. By the end of
the month, over half the Catholic bishops in the country
had denounced the plan; many said
they would refuse to comply with the law. A
reporter at the White House press briefing called
this "a pretty extraordinary situation."
What follows is an annotated extract of the
questions and answers on this topic during the news
conference.
Full Text