White House Press Secretary Jay Carney suggested that there are no “constitutional rights issues” involved in the new rule mandating that even religious-affiliated medical facilities provide contraception to patients, and he avoided a question about potential “consequences” for Catholics who do not follow the rule.

“I don’t believe there are any constitutional rights issues here, but I would refer you to others to discuss that,” Carney said when asked if the Health and Human Services (HHS) rule violates religious freedom and conscience protections. “[W]e will continue to work with religious groups to discuss their concerns,” he added, “but on the other side of this was the important need to provide access to women to the preventive services that they require.”