BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (February 9, 2012)--A Roman Catholic broadcasting network is suing the Obama administration over a mandate that religious organizations pay for birth control coverage for employees.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday by the nonprofit EWTN Global Catholic Network, claims the policy is unconstitutional because it would require the broadcaster to violate church principles on the sanctity of life or pay fines of $600,000 a year.

Network president Michael Warsaw said EWTN had to sue because it would be forced to use donors' contributions to pay for morally objectionable health services including contraception, sterilization and abortion drugs.

EWTN spokeswoman Michelle Johnson said the Alabama-based network employs 340 people, 135 of whom are women.

Lawsuits to block the contraceptive mandate also have been filed by a Catholic college and a Protestant university.