A group of religious leaders testifying before Congress about the birth control mandate in February. (Carolyn  …The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reiterated its threat to sue the Obama administration over its rule that all employers must offer contraception without a copay in their insurance plans.

Churches and other organizations that mainly employ and serve people of one religion are exempt from the rule, but the bishops say religiously affiliated hospitals, schools and other organizations should also be exempt. In February, President Barack Obama announced an "accommodation"—that insurance companies would offer the contraception coverage directly to employees, so that employers wouldn't have to violate their conscience by being a middleman in the exchange. Later, the administration said third-party companies would offer the birth control coverage, and that religious schools with self-insured plans would be exempt from the contraception requirement.

In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, the bishops' conference rejected President Obama's accommodation, asserting that religiously affiliated employers will be forced to drop insurance for its employees entirely in order to avoid violating their beliefs that contraception and sterilization are wrong.