It may be months before Congress could or would do anything about the Obama administration's controversial rule requiring all employers to provide insurance that covers contraception for women. But that didn't stop members of Congress or interest groups from weighing in. Here's some of the more florid language that poured out on Wednesday:
"Again and again this administration and its allies have used the resources of government to intimidate or silence those who question or oppose it, and to reward their friends and punish their enemies," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a floor speech.
Later, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, McConnell added: "The Obama administration has crossed a dangerous line. And we will fight this attack on the fundamental right to religious freedom until the courts overturn it or we’ve got a president who will reverse it."
An ad from Advocates for Youth and Catholics for Choice in Wednesday's Roll Call read: “It’s 2012. Are we seriously talking about denying women birth control? … Insurance coverage for birth control shouldn’t be controversial – it’s common sense."
In another Senate floor speech, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said: “The administration, rather than side with millions of religious Americans who just want to be left alone to practice their faith, decided to throw in with the most radical of pro-abortion advocates. They decided to subordinate our central constitutional commitment to religious liberty to a radical agenda that is overtly hostile to these people of faith.”
"It should not be left up to a boss’s personal beliefs whether his employees should be allowed birth control coverage," Planned Parenthoodsaid in a statement.
Anthony Picarello, general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told USA Today that the provision must be removed completely. "If I quit this job and opened a Taco Bell, I'd be covered by the mandate," Picarello said.
“President Obama made the right decision when he acted to protect access to birth control for hundreds of thousands of American women, and we can’t backtrack now,” said Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif., a former nurse.
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