2-in-3 say favor birth control coverage

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults say businesses should provide contraceptive coverage as part of their health insurance plans, a survey indicates. A survey by LifeWay Research indicated 63 percent of U.S. adults agreed businesses should be required to provide their employees with free contraception and birth control coverage even if it runs counter to their religious principles, 28 percent disagree and 10 percent said they didn't know. The Affordable Care Act requires the coverage of contraceptives. In addition, 53 percent said Catholic and other religious schools, hospitals and charities should be required to provide the contraceptive coverage, while 33 percent disagreed. Fifty-six percent of U.S. adults said they agreed faith-base organizations should be required to follow the mandate even if it goes against their religious beliefs, while 32 percent disagreed they should be required to provide the coverage. The poll also showed Americans who never attended religious services were more likely to strongly agree -- 45 percent -- that faith-based organizations should have to follow the mandate, but the percentage rose to 55 percent when considering a business. The survey also showed 48 percent of women said businesses should provide contraceptive coverage versus 37 percent of men; 37 percent of women versus 29 percent of men said non-profits should provide contraceptive coverage; while 36 percent of women and 26 percent of men said faith-based groups should provide contraceptive coverage. Fewer than 10 percent of younger Americans said they strongly disagreed businesses and organizations should provide contraceptive coverage. The online survey of 1,191 U.S adults was conducted Nov. 14-16. A sample of an online panel representing the adult population was invited to participate. The margin of error is 2.9 percentage points.