Thank you, Mr. President. For the Colson Center, I’m John Stonestreet with The Point.

On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that employers and insurance companies who have religious objections to the contraception mandate of the Affordable Care Act will be able to opt out.

This mandate, the cause of more than fifty lawsuits from religious organizations, including nuns, would have required many to violate their consciences by providing abortion-inducing drugs and birth control to employees. The Obama administration refused to back down on this, even though there were some simple alternatives to provide the same coverage.

Accommodating religious employers is a reasonable and easy way to resolve the conflict. This was the latest win for religious liberty and the sanctity of human life from this administration.

So let’s give credit where it’s due. The President made a campaign promise to bolster religious liberty. He’s followed through: with a great Supreme Court pick, rolling back the HHS mandate, and supporting the 20-week abortion ban that just passed the House.

Let’s hope and pray the good news continues.