1/24/12: Obama Administration Forces Religious Groups to Pay for Abortion Drug

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Many church-affiliated institutions will have to cover free birth control for employees, the Obama administration announced last week in an election-year move that outraged religious groups, fueling a national debate about the reach of government.

New York Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said “Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience. This shouldn’t happen in a land where free exercise of religion ranks first in the Bill of Rights.”

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty predicted that religious groups “will never pay for abortion drugs in violation of their religious beliefs.”