In a Thursday speech on the floor of the House of Delegates, Delegate Patrick Lane, R-Kanawha, railed against a recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ruling that faith-based nonprofit organizations must begin offering birth control services to female employees as part of their insurance coverage.

The rule, which was finalized on Jan. 20, mandates coverage of all forms of contraception approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration - including condoms, implanted devices and oral contraceptives including the morning-after pill - on or before Aug. 30, 2013.

The measure has drawn opposition from the Roman Catholic Church and other groups that exclude birth control from coverage based on their beliefs.    

Bishop Michael Bransfield of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese called the rule a "severe attack on religious liberty" and urged people to contact congressional representatives about blocking the change.  

"Even those who are not in agreement with the Catholic Church's teaching on the sanctity of human life recognize that this is a radical break with the tradition of religious liberty and respect for conscience rights," Bransfield said in a statement Wednesday.

The rule change resulted from the agency's implementation of the federal health care overhaul.

The rule does not apply directly to churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. It also includes an exemption for some faith-based nonprofit organizations, so long as those groups hire and serve primarily those within their denomination.

Lane, a devout Catholic, said that exemption is so narrow that his church would have to choose between following the law or their mission as laid out by Jesus Christ.

"That means that the Catholic Church can't operate a food bank unless it only lets Catholics in," he said.

"That means the Catholic Church cannot provide the services or help even down to giving diapers to families and women in trouble, unless we check their membership card at the door."

He said it could affect private schools like Sacred Heart Grade School in downtown Charleston. While run by the Catholic diocese, enrollment is open to those of all faiths.

"If this is allowed to stand at the federal level, the diocese in Charleston has to make a choice - we either kick out all the kids that aren't Catholic, or we provide coverage for things that are against the Catholic religion," Lane said.

"I submit to you even the 12 apostles would not qualify for that exemption," he said.

"Did they only work with members of their own faith?" Lane said. "They were charged with providing faith and services for everyone - that's what the Catholic Church and others have done for 2,000 years."

Lane also pointed to the three hospitals and two nursing homes the Catholic Church operates in West Virginia. He said they employ many people and serve patients of all faiths.

"If this provision set by the Obama administration is allowed to stand, the Catholic Church must say, 'We either only hire Catholics, or we only serve Catholics,'" Lane said.

"That's not the way the Catholic Church operates. That's not the way the other churches operate. The charge is to serve all."

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney addressed the issue Thursday afternoon during his daily briefing with reporters.

Carney said the White House did not agree with arguments that the policy infringed on religious liberty.

"We obviously believe this is constitutional," he said.

He said the administration worked to strike a balance between religious beliefs and good public health policy.

"We want to make sure that women have access to good health care no matter where they work and that all women who want access to contraceptives are able to get them without paying a co-pay every time they go to the pharmacy," Carney said.

This is not the first time a Republican state legislator has taken the House floor to speak against Obama administration policies.

When Delegate Jonathan Miller, R-Berkeley, spoke last March in opposition to a bill to establish a state health insurance exchange - as called for in federal health care legislation - he was ruled out of order the first time he mentioned the president by name.

House of Delegates rules prohibit members from criticizing individuals by name during floor proceedings.

However, Lane was not challenged under that rule at any point during his nearly five-minute speech on Thursday.

He also suggested the Legislature reconsider the health insurance exchange bill this year to see if there is a way around the new federal rule.

"If we can't do that, then we need to storm the Capitol in Washington and let our representatives know ... that in West Virginia, we care for West Virginians. That's who we are as a people," Lane said.

"And whether you're a Baptist, a Lutheran, a Methodist, a Muslim or whether you're Catholic, in West Virginia we learn to take care of our neighbor," he said. "We love our neighbors in West Virginia."

Contact writer Jared Hunt at jared.h...@dailymail.com or 304-348-5148.