07:59 PM EST
Female Dem Senators Call On Boehner To Drop Birth Control Bill

All twelve female Democratic senators wrote a letter to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Thursday asking him to halt movement on House legislation aimed at rolling back the Obama administration's contraception mandate.

The letter, obtained by the Washington Post's Greg Sargent, reflects an effort to force House Republicans to publicly concede defeat in the contraception wars -- the battle was effectively over when the Blunt amendment was struck down in the Senate last week.

House GOP leaders, like their Senate counterparts, are about ready to call it a day on the issue. But because there are conservative members who feel strongly about fighting to repeal the birth control rule, expect House leaders to soft-pedal their desire to move on.

Reported by Sahil Kapur