welcome. i m bob abernethy. it s good to have you with us. faith groups continued to mobilize around the issue of gay marriage this week. on capitol hill, conservative religious leaders voiced their opposition to any efforts to repeal a federal law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. they also condemned president obama s personal support for gay marriage. meanwhile, earlier in the week, the naacp came out in favor of gay marriage. the group s president called it one of, quote the key civil rights struggles of our time. in a coordinated effort, 43 catholic institutions filed federal lawsuits to stop the obama administration s plan to require free coverage of contraceptive services. among e plaintiffs were catholic dioceses, hospitals, social service agencies, and universities, including notre they say the requirement would infringe on their religious freedom. supporters of the coverage plan say a proposed compromise would avoid religious liberty concerns, but