Tim-ber. That sounds you hear is the GOP cleaving in two along the gender gap (and the Catholic gap, as a majority of Catholics also support President Obama over the bishops on this one).
From ThinkProgress:
While GOP senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has pledged to fight the Obama’s administration’s modified regulation requiring health insurers and busnisses to offer contraception coverage without additional cost sharing, the revised rule “appears to have won over” two of the five Republican women senators.Things seem to be slowly shifting against the bishops, and the GOP, on this one.
Sens. Olympia Snowe (ME) and Susan Collins (ME) — both of whom have sponsored legislation requiring insurers to offer contraception benefits in all health plans — are in favor of the new compromise, which would allow religiously affiliated colleges, universities, and hospitals to avoid providing birth control. Their employees will still receive contraception coverage at no additional cost sharing directly from the insurer.
