DENVER (AP) – A federal mandate to require employers to provide health insurance that includes birth control for workers sparked protests in Denver and other cities.

About 100 people gathered Friday at the state Capitol to hear from faith leaders and public officials opposed to birth-control mandates. Some find the mandates a violation of religious freedom because the mandate would apply to religious insurers opposed to birth control.

There were also rallies in Colorado Springs and Grand Junction.

Speakers urged protesters to get involved in politics and seek to overturn the mandate.

President Barack Obama has offered a compromise in which insurers would bear the cost of the birth control instead of religious employers. But Roman Catholic bishops have said the prospective new rules don’t do enough to protect religious liberty.

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