Catholic bishops are attacking the President for requiring health care plans offered by employers affiliated with religious groups such as colleges and hospitals to cover contraceptives like non-religious employers. Houses of worship are exempt from the rule and don’t have to cover contraceptives.
 
New polls released today show that U.S. Catholics don’t agree with their own church on this question. According to the Public Religion Policy Institute:
 

Roughly 6-in-10 Catholics (58%) believe that employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception.

The bishops are critical of the requirement and asked for an exemption for Catholic institutions such as hospitals and educational institutions, regardless of the employee’s religion. Catholics who participated in the poll said they favored the position of the Health and Human ServicesDepartment:

A majority of Catholics (52%) say that religiously affiliated colleges and hospitals should have to provide coverage that includes contraception.

 
A separate poll by Public Policy Polling found that 56% voters support the Obama Administration in requiring religious employers other than houses of worship to cover birth control just like other health plans. The poll suggests that Mitt Romney’s strong criticism of the requirement and his promise to allow religious groups to opt out of it isn’t likely to help him much in a head-to-head contest with the President.