Reaction to President Barack Obama’s birth control compromise: ___ “It’s absolutely unacceptable. It’s just an economic shell game because it, for religious employers, requires indirect funding of contraception and abortifacients. For Liberty University and other self-insured, it does not change anything from the previous directive and directly collides with our religious, free-exercise beliefs.” — Mathew Staver, vice president of Liberty University, a Christian school in Lynchburg, Va., founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, with more than 6,000 employees. ___... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — What birth control debate? A half-century after the introduction of the pill, acceptance of birth control by American women is virtually universal. But that didn’t keep the Obama administration from landing in a political mess over a side issue to a new policy that will soon make contraceptives available free of charge as preventive care for women enrolled in workplace health plans. The big question: how the rules would apply to nonprofit institutions such as hospitals, colleges... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — What birth control debate? A half-century after the introduction of the pill, acceptance of birth control by American women is virtually universal. But that didn’t keep the Obama administration from landing in a political mess over a side issue to a new policy that will soon make contraceptives available free of charge as preventive care for women enrolled in workplace health plans. The big question: How the rules would apply to nonprofit institutions such as hospitals, colleges... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — What birth control debate? A half-century after the introduction of the pill, acceptance of birth control by American women is virtually universal. But that didn’t keep the Obama administration from landing in a political mess over a side issue to a new policy that will soon make contraceptives available free of charge as preventive care for women enrolled in workplace health plans. The big question: How the rules would apply to nonprofit institutions such as hospitals, colleges... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — What birth control debate? A half-century after the introduction of the pill, acceptance of birth control by American women is virtually universal. But that didn’t keep the Obama administration from landing in a political mess over a side issue to a new policy that will soon make contraceptives available free of charge as preventive care for women enrolled in workplace health plans. The big question: How the rules would apply to nonprofit institutions such as hospitals, colleges... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — What birth control debate? A half-century after the introduction of the pill, acceptance of birth control by American women is virtually universal. But that didn’t keep the Obama administration from landing in a political mess over a side issue to a new policy that will soon make contraceptives available free of charge as preventive care for women enrolled in workplace health plans. The big question: How the rules would apply to nonprofit institutions such as hospitals, colleges... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops are expressing grave doubts about President Barack Obama’s revamped health care rule on birth control. They say it raises serious moral concerns and lacks clear protections for certain employers, insurers and individuals. In a statement issued Friday evening, the United States Conference of Bishops said Obama’s proposal “continues to involve needless government intrusion in the internal governance of religious institutions.” The statement came hours after Obama announced he was backing off a... Read more

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Three Democratic state senators say an independent inspector should oversee the New York City Police Department after what they say are abuses including the widespread surveillance of Muslims and the crackdown on Occupy Wall Street protesters. The bill comes in the wake of a series of articles by The Associated Press that detailed monitoring of Muslims, a tactic decried by some as religious profiling. The measure from Sens. Kevin Parker, Eric Adams and Bill Perkins of... Read more

BLAGOEVGRAD, Bulgaria (AP) — Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria are observing a unique holiday traditionally associated with honey and bees. Friday was the Day of St. Haralambos. Hundreds came to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin church to observe the holiday, and many prayed for an end to the freezing weather that has threatened honey bees and farm output in this Balkan country. Beekeepers were among those who joined in a holy Mass for “the sanctification of honey.” The worshippers also... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has support from a key Roman Catholic health group on its compromise birth control policy. Sister Carol Keehan heads the Catholic Health Organization. She says the compromise “has responded to the issues we identified that needed to be fixed.” Senior administration officials tell The Associated Press the compromise policy says religious employers won’t have to cover birth control for their employees, after all. Instead, insurance companies will be directly responsible for providing free contraception.... Read more