Religious institutions get extra year to comply with birth control rule

The Obama administration announced it would give Catholic hospitals and other religiously affiliated institutions an extra year to comply with a new rule requiring employers to provide free birth control in their health plans.

But the administration held fast to the underlying rule, despite vigorous objections from Catholic bishops and other officials who argued they shouldn’t be forced to provide services that go against their religious beliefs.

The requirement to provide free contraceptives doesn’t apply to churches, synagogues and other places of worship. It does affect universities and healthcare facilities with religious affiliations.

Most employers will be required to provide the free contraceptive services beginning Aug. 1. The one-year delay announced Friday means that religiously affiliated employers will be allowed to wait until Aug. 1, 2013.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America and other women’s advocates had been worried the White House would broaden the list of employers that were exempt from the requirement. They expressed relief that the White House stuck to the basic policy.

“This common-sense decision means that millions of women, who would otherwise pay $15 to $50 a month, will have access to affordable birth control, helping to save hundreds of dollars each year,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood.

The decision was a setback for social conservatives, Republicans and especially the U.S. Conference of Bishops, which criticized the requirement as a violation of religious liberty.

Last July, the Institute of Medicine recommended that birth control be covered as a preventive service at no charge, and the Department of Health and Human Services adopted the recommendation on an interim basis in August.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in announcing the final rule Friday, said that the decision “strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services.”