Religious institutions have been exempted from having to provide health insurance plans which include abortion inducing drugs and contraception by the lower house of the New Hampshire legislature.

The vote was the latest in a national effort against President Obama’s healthcare mandate which require all insurance plans, even those sponsored by religious institutions, to provide coverage for abortofacients and other contraception.

The bill now goes to the state Senate, which, like the House, is controlled by Republicans.

New Hampshire is one of 28 states requiring insurers to include contraceptives as covered prescriptions in health plans.

The state passed its mandate in 1999.

“This stands up for our religious institutions that have long-held principles and teachings under assault,” said Representative Pamela Tucker, the deputy speaker of the New Hampshire House, in a statement.

“Imposing anti-religious regulations on Churches achieves no reduction of costs or availability of services, it only serves to please those pushing a political agenda.”

After protests from every Catholic bishop, numerous other religious leaders and politicians from both parties, President Obama last month announced that religiously affiliated employers such as Catholic hospitals and universities would not have to directly fund birth control, saying the onus would instead fall on insurers.

But the bishops, evangelicals and Republicans have said that the compromise still effectively requires them to provide health insurance which covers abortifacients and have kept fighting the new rule.

Earlier this month, the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate narrowly rejected an amendment that would have allowed any employer to opt out of birth control coverage and other services on moral grounds. Three Democratic, Ben Nelson of Nebraksa, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, voted for the amendment.

The Republican controlled House of Representatives is expected to bring forward its own legislation aimed at thwarting the Obama mandate in the next few weeks.