Biden on Contraception Controversy: ‘We Can Work It Out’ - East Idaho News
News

Biden on Contraception Controversy: ‘We Can Work It Out’

  Published at

P 111210 JoeBiden4ABC?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1328843525297ABC News(CINCINNATI) — Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday he was confident the Obama administration could resolve concerns surrounding its decision to require most employers, including Catholic hospitals and charities, to offer health insurance that fully covers contraception.

“I am determined to see that this gets worked out, and I believe we can work it out,” Biden said on a radio program in Cincinnati Thursday. “But the frustration…is real.”

The vice president said there had been “a lot of misunderstanding” about the administration’s decision, suggesting there had not been enough focus on the one-year timeframe for employers to comply.

“When HHS put out its ruling on this issue, it said that it’s going to take a year to work out whatever difficulties the Catholic church has, to make sure we do not force the Catholic church into a position where they are having to do something that they fundamentally think is inconsistent with their religious beliefs. That is underway,” he explained.

“There’s going to be a significant attempt to work this out, and there’s time to do that. And as a practicing Catholic, you know, I am of the view that this can be worked out and should be worked out and I think the president, I know the president, feels the same way,” Biden said.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION