Collins, Snowe, cool to Obama policy switch

From the Waterville Morning Sentinel:

Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine first called President Obama’s revised birth-control bill a step in the right direction when it was announced Feb. 10.

However, Collins and Snowe said last week they now want more information before taking a position on Obama’s policy.

Initially the bill sought to require religious-affiliated employers, such Catholic hospitals and universities, to cover birth control costs for their workers.

Churches and houses of worship would have been exempt, but many Catholic leaders were still outraged by what they saw as a violation of their faith.

As a result, Obama’s bill now calls for shifting the responsibility of coverage onto insurance companies for employers who have a moral objection to it.