Free Talk Live

Obama announces change in birth control coverage rule after outcry

President Obama on Friday backed off a plan requiring religious organizations to provide free contraceptive coverage, shifting the responsibility to insurers in a move he claimed would preserve religious liberty as well as "basic fairness" for women who want the coverage.

The announcement comes after a contentious week of debate in Washington and across the country about the rule, which stems from the federal health care overhaul. Religious groups, particularly Catholic organizations, decried the policy, while lawmakers on both sides of the aisle charged it was an infringement on religious freedom.