Former ambassador says he may not back Obama over birth-control decision

Douglas Kmiec, a prominent backer of Barack Obama's 2008 run for the White House, says he may not support the president's re-election bid because of the administration's controversial decision on contraception.

Kmiec, a former ambassador to Malta, is strongly opposed to Obama's new mandate that Catholic hospitals and universities provide contraception in their employee health plans.

Traditionally a Republican, Kmiec said he urged Obama last year to grant an exemption as "an opportunity to be more sensitive to religious freedom than the law requires."

Kmiec told political blog The Hill that until he gets an opportunity to speak to the President, "[he is] for now (unhappily) without a candidate."

Kmiec, a professor of constitutional law at Pepperdine University, said last year there was a "98 percent chance" he would support Obama's reelection bid.

Catholic leaders are outraged over a recent decision by the Obama administration that would require Catholic-affiliated institutions to cover contraceptives and sterilization in their employee health care plans - a rule they say would violate one of their core beliefs.

Kmiec said there were several ways to reimburse such employees of Catholic institutions for the expense. "Why exactly did we not walk down a path that would have led to common ground - namely, coverage without ethical objection? That's what I need answered before deciding on 2012."

Supporters of the new policy note that many states already have similar policies recently announced by Obama's Department of Health and Human Services.

Kmiec, a Catholic who opposes abortion rights, was denied Communion in the wake of his endorsement of Obama, which caused a stir when he announced his decision. Kmiec had originally backed Romney before switching and he earned a speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention. He was later appointed ambassador to Malta.

Kmiec resigned shortly into his ambassadorship in April 2011 in the wake of a report from the Office of Inspector General that claimed Kmiec was spending too much time on writings and speeches unrelated to bilateral relations.