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(Reuters) - Catholic bishops, energized by a battle over contraception funding, are planning some aggressive campaign to rally Americans in provision for a long list of government measures that they say intrude on religious license.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops plans to drudge with other religious groups, including evangelical Christians, in successi~ an election-year public relations campaign that may comprise TV and radio ads, social media marketing and a push because of pastors and priests to raise the subject from the sacred desk.

"We want to make it something that will get peoples' attention," said Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn.

The bishops wearied the past few weeks pressing President Barack Obama to liberated religious employers from a federal precept that all health insurance plans propound free birth control.

Obama agreed to lower the mandate a bit, so that devout employers wouldn't have to pay with a view to contraceptive coverage directly. That satisfied more Catholic groups, but the bishops were not mollified. They wish for the mandate repealed altogether.

And at present, they are aiming higher still, lobbying Congress to establish by law a law that would let somewhat employer opt out of covering a single one medical treatment he disagreed with during the time that a matter of his personal engagement.

So, for instance, a pizzeria proprietor who objected to childhood vaccinations forward religious grounds would be able to asking an insurance plan that did not disguise them, in effect overriding a federal requirement that vaccinations be provided clear with any health-insurance plan.

Leaving coverage decisions up to reaped ground employers' conscience might create chaos in the marketplace, "excepting chaos is sometimes the price you pay according to freedom," said Richard Land, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, who is backing the bishops perfect-heartedly.

Democrats, who control the Senate, are probable to block any bill with of that kind broad opt-out provisions.

But supporters, including projecting Republicans, say they will keep pushing as far as concerns the change, which fits into a wider topic of defending individual freedoms against body politic intrusion which is expected to engage in ~ prominently in the November election.

MESSAGE FROM THE PULPIT

Along by the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Association of Evangelicals stands dexterous to contribute money and manpower to the bishops' campaign, afore~ Galen Carey, an association vice president.

The cluster is also considering the unprecedented step of asking pastors of every evangelical denomination across the country to peruse their congregations an open letter protesting the contraception order as an assault on religious license.

Liberal groups are already launching contrariwise-attacks.

This week, NARAL Pro-Choice America, that works to keep abortion legal and be distended contraceptive access, spent $250,000 to current of ~ radio ads in four swing states that choose be crucial to the presidential freewill -- Colorado, Florida, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The ads impel support for Obama and his strain to ensure that "women of every part of faiths, no matter where they drudge," can get free birth control with their health insurance.

More than 30 organizations supporting Obama teamed up to occasion the Coalition to Protect Women's Health Care, that has started an online petition and plans farther on action.

The coalition includes two unions that reproduce millions of workers and have well-honed networks towards getting out political messages, the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Obama's supporters speak the president went far enough to suit religious institutions when he announced highest week that they wouldn't be delivered of to pay for free birth have the direction of as part of their insurance plans; he before-mentioned instead their insurers would be required to open up the costs.

The bishops denounced this taken in the character of a gimmick that doesn't clear anything, especially for the many strict hospitals and schools that self-insure their employees.

"Reasonable people should exist able to work through the distinct parts of this and find common base," said John Gehring, Catholic outreach coordinator in opposition to the liberal group Faith in Public Life. "But liberty-year politics doesn't make in quest of cool heads."

BATTLE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

The Conference of Catholic Bishops began preparing months since for a battle royale over devout freedom. Last fall, the conference bulked up its bludgeon, hiring a lawyer who had earnest his career to religious liberty cases and a lobbyist to bear down the cause in Washington. The group also created a special committee steady religious liberty, chaired by Bishop Lori.

In a September note announcing the committee, Archbishop Timothy Dolan declared that devout freedom "is now increasingly and in novel ways under assault in America." He and other officials essay many examples of that perceived attack.

On the federal level, the Obama management has cancelled or threatened to annul contracts awarded to Catholic charities in the place of work to prevent HIV and to assistance victims of sex trafficking. The giving says the charities have to arrange services such as condoms, emergency contraception and abortion referrals to maintain the contracts; the charities declare that such conditions violate their religious faith.

Several states, meanwhile, have required adoption agencies that receive public funds to deal by same-sex couples on par through any other prospective foster or adoptive father. Catholic Charities object, saying the church doesn't sanction gay and lesbian relationships. Rather than comply by the laws, bishops in Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington D.C. take shut down Catholic adoption agencies.

The bishops describe this as an out-and-gone ~ war on free exercise of reverence.

But secular and liberal groups recite no one's assailing the freedom to worship, to proselytize -- or unruffled to perform social services, such since placing needy children in loving homes, according to devout precepts.

It is only when a godly institution accepts taxpayer money to practise such work that religious freedom mould take a back seat to profane laws, said Marci Hamilton, a innate scholar at Cardozo School of Law.

Courts nationwide esteem repeatedly ruled that religious groups fust follow the same rules as everyone besides when holding a government contract, Hamilton before-mentioned. Any institution that can't in true faith follow those rules shouldn't apply for public funding, she said.

GUARDING CONTRACEPTION

With regard to contraceptive care, courts in New York and California gain upheld state laws -- similar to the federal mandate -- that insurance plans, including those sponsored ~ means of religious employers, must cover birth ascendency if they cover other prescription drugs.

It is unclear whether in the same state nuances will filter into the national debate over religious freedom and contraceptive coverage.

Both sides answer they believe public opinion is firmly in their cusp -- and they're determined to stand by it that way with a constant drumbeat of snappy soundbites.

More than 100 university professors and religious leaders from not the same faiths released a letter of profess against the administration Tuesday that was headlined through a single word: "Unacceptable." The note called the Obama administration "morally unintelligent" and blasted the contraceptive coverage injunction as "a grave violation of strict freedom."

On the other side, the American Civil Liberties Union held a squeeze out conference to accuse the bishops of playing party ~ in the name of faith. The bishops are promoting "a distorted survey of religious liberty -- one that has not at all basis in law or the Constitution," before-mentioned Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program in successi~ Freedom of Religion and Belief.

(Reporting By Stephanie Simon in Denver,; superadded reporting by Thomas Ferraro; Editing through David Storey and Marilyn Thompson)

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