WASHINGTON -- In a rare floor speech Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) demanded that the Obama administration reverse its new rule requiring most employers' insurance plans to cover birth control with no co-pay for employees. Boehner pledged to take legislative action if the administration refuses to reverse.
Echoing the argument of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, one of the most powerful lobbying groups on the issue of birth control, Boehner called the coverage mandate "an unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country" because it includes religiously affiliated organizations, such as schools and hospitals.
?In imposing this requirement, the federal government is violating a First Amendment right that has stood for more than two centuries. And it is doing so in a manner that affects millions of Americans and harms some of our nation's most vital institutions," Boehner said. "If the president does not reverse the [Health and Human Services] Department?s attack on religious freedom, then the Congress, acting on behalf of the American people and the Constitution we are sworn to uphold and defend, must."
Boehner said the House Energy and Commerce Committee is taking the lead on the matter "through appropriate legislative channels."
The willingness of the House Republican leadership to jump into the contraception debate underscores how tempting a quick political victory can be, even in light of the leadership's pledge to remain focused on jobs.
Republicans in the Senate are already moving to override the administration's decision. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said at a press conference on Wednesday that discussions are under way about a possible legislative response to the contraception rule, and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said ominously that President Barack Obama has awoken a "sleeping giant" with the birth control decision.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced a bill last week that would allow religiously affiliated hospitals, universities and other organizations that morally oppose contraception to refuse to cover it for their employees. Hundreds of thousands of women employed by those organizations would be affected.
A group of 23 Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders countered Boehner's argument, saying in a joint statement Wednesday that they stand with President Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in their decision to expand birth control coverage for women.
"We believe that women and men have the right to decide whether or not to apply the principles of their faith to family planning decisions, and to do so they must have access to services," the group said. "Hospitals and universities across the religious spectrum have an obligation to assure that individuals' conscience and decisions are respected and that their students and employees have access to this basic health care service. We invite other religious leaders to speak out with us for universal coverage of contraception."
On Tuesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney had tried to defuse some of the criticism without suggesting that Obama might back down, telling reporters that the administration planned to work with religious organizations "to see if the implementation of the policy can be done in a way that allays some of those concerns."
This article has been updated to include remarks from Sens. Mitch McConnell and John Thune.
Earlier on HuffPost:
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