WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior administration officials tell The Associated Press that President Barack Obama on Friday will announce that religious employers will not have to cover birth control for their employees after all. He will demand instead that insurance companies will be the ones ultimately responsible for providing free contraception.
Obama’s abrupt retreat is an attempt to address concerns from Catholic leaders and end an election-year nightmare for the White House.
Women will still get guaranteed access to birth control without co-pays or premiums no matter where they work.
But religious organizations that see contraception as a violation of their faith can refuse to cover it, and insurance companies will then have to do so.
Senior administration officials confirmed details to the AP on condition of anonymity ahead of an announcement by Obama.
