WATCH: Steelman Joins SSM in Opposing Mandatory Insurance Coverage of Birth Control

*Editor's note: An earlier version of this article and its accompanying headline were unclear about the issue on which Sarah Steelman has weighed in. Steelman is opposed to mandatory insurance coverage of birth control. The article has been updated to clarify that point.

Sarah Steelman, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Missouri treasurer, has taken to the airwaves to respond to the national controversy over mandating insurance coverage of birth control*.

She isn't alone in opposing such coverage. St. Louis organizations concerned about the idea include SSM Health Care, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. SSM St. Mary's Health Center in Richmond Heights is a part of the health care system.

Politico reporter Dave Catanese said the spot would start airing on the Fox News Channel last week. It features Steelman staring at the camera and condemning the decision.

In addition to Brunner and Steelman, U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood) is also in the GOP primary to determine who will face U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), later this year. Both Brunner and Akin have sharply criticized the decision.

Closer to home, state Sen. John Lamping (R-Ladue) is pushing legislation stipulating that no entity “shall be compelled to obtain coverage for or provide coverage for abortion, contraception, or sterilization in a health plan if such items or procedures are contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions.” It recently passed a Senate committee.

“I’ve requested this bill be given a prompt hearing so we can debate it on the floor as soon as possible,” Lamping said in a statement this week. “Protecting the religious freedom of Missourians is a right upon which the government should not intrude.”