White House seeking ‘balance’ between contraceptive coverage, respect for religion

December 02, 2011

President Barack Obama is seeking a balance between mandatory contraceptive coverage and respect for religious beliefs, according to Jay Carney, the White House press secretary.

At a recent press conference, Carney was asked:

I’ve heard from a lot of Democrats in the last few weeks who are concerned about President Obama possibly granting an exemption to Catholic churches, hospitals and universities from the requirement that all insurance plans cover contraception. I’m wondering if you could shed any light on this decision. I know the President has not yet made a decision, but I think these Democrats, a lot of them in the abortion rights community, are concerned that this is even being discussed. Could you explain why the President is considering an exemption, and what’s going into his decision-making?

The press secretary replied:

Well, part of the process, Jake, as you know, was seeking and receiving public input before the guidelines that were announced by the Secretary of Health and Human Services would go into effect. That process did result in public input, as well as resulted in numerous comments from various folks who have concerns about this issue.

The President has -- this decision has not yet been made. You can be sure that we want to strike the right balance between expanding coverage of preventive services and respecting religious beliefs. And that’s the balance that will be sought as this decision is made.

 

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Further information:

• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney and Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers Alan Krueger (White House)