By Chris Cannon
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Southern Baptist Convention, headquartered in Nashville, has joined in the debate over a pending law that will require religious institutions to include contraception in their health insurance plans.
"This is an issue of conscience, an issue of religious freedom," explained Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
The new requirement is part of the Obama administration's Affordable Healthcare Act that takes affect in August.
While nearly 350,000 churches and houses of worship would be exempt for the contraception requirement, religious-affiliated institutions would not.
"Catholic schools, Baptist schools, Baptist affiliated institutions, Baptist charities, and Catholic charities must abide by it," according to Land.
The evangelical leaders said the issue comes down to basic religious freedom.
"It's not about abortifacients. It's not about birth control. They're asking people of faith to pay for that which they find unconscionable," Land said.
At Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee administrators applaud the pending contraception requirement.
"We think it should be readily accessible and affordable to all woman," said president and CEO Jeff Teague.
He pointed to recent polls on the subject that show a majority of American and Catholic Americans agreed with the new law.
"This is a very popular benefit that the majority of Americans think women should have access to," Teague said.
Dr. Land said this is an issue religious groups across America will not back down from.
"Because Catholics and Baptists and other people of faith are not going to comply with this mandate," he said.
Thursday the EWTN Global Broadcasting Network filed suit against the Obama administration over the proposed mandate.
Leaders at the Catholic television network said it will force them to compromise their principles, or face fines as high as $600,000.
During a interview with a Cincinnati radio station Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden, who is Catholic, said the escalating election-year battle could be worked out so both sides can be agree on a final version of the law.
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