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Tuesday June 18th 2013

Obama Admin. announces Contraceptive opt-out for Religious Groups, Others

The Obama administration on Friday announced a broader opt-out for religious-affiliated groups that want to skirt the so-called contraceptive mandate, following through on a pledge last year to provide an “accommodation” in the face of complaints from Catholic schools, religious-affiliated service providers and other organizations.

ObamacareThe proposed regulations out Friday, though, are not likely to satisfy all concerns about the ObamaCare rule requiring near-universal access to contraceptive coverage for employees. Businesses like Hobby Lobby, which sued the administration over the rule, would probably not be affected by the change because it is not a religious employer — though the owner of that company has objected on religious and moral grounds.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has represented several religious-affiliated schools suing over the rule, said Friday it was still studying the proposal’s impact on its clients. But the group said the proposal “does nothing to protect the religious liberty of millions of Americans.”