The recent sex abuse scandal involving clergy in the Roman Catholic Church has "eroded" some of the church's influence on issues such as abortion and birth control among state legislators in the Northeast, the "most heavily Catholic region" of the United States, the Washington Post reports. In states such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania -- where between 40% and 50% of the state's population is Catholic -- lawmakers have traditionally been "deferential to church power," and Catholic leaders have become "accustomed to gaining respectful hearings" and "exerting broad influence" in their statehouses. Thomas M. Finneran (D), speaker of the Massachusetts House, noted the Legislature's failure to pass a recent bill that would have required abortion providers to obtain informed consent from women seeking an abortion. Finneran stated that while the Catholic Church's voice might once have been "persuasive" in the consideration of the measure, its "influence with people of the faith has been hurt." According to the Post, the sex abuse scandal has "emboldened those who oppose traditional church positions on abortion and birth control," including some legislators in New York, where the Legislature recently passed a package of women's health bills, including a measure requiring most employers who offer health insurance to provide contraceptive coverage for their employees. New York Assembly member Deborah Glick (D) stated that she and other proponents of the bill "took advantage of a distracted church" to get the women's health package passed (Powell, Washington Post, 7/6).