WASHINGTON (AP) — A political adviser to President Barack Obama said Tuesday the administration didn't intend to "abridge anyone's religious freedom" with its regulation requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control for their workers.

"This is an important issue. It's important for millions of women around the country," said Axelrod, the political adviser to Obama's re-election campaign. "We want to resolve it in an appropriate way and we're going to do that."

Roman Catholic leaders have assailed Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for the new rule, arguing that it tramples on their religious beliefs. Religious groups that oppose the regulation say that it forces people of faith to choose between upholding church doctrine and serving the broader society.

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