RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia's conservative Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says going to jail may be an effective way to protest a federal mandate for employers to cover contraception in insurance plans.

On Iowa conservative radio host Steve Deace's (DACE) Wednesday night show, the Republican gubernatorial candidate said civil disobedience is one way to attack the federal healthcare requirement being challenged in a federal lawsuit by Hobby Lobby stores.

Cuccinelli called the Affordable Care Act requirement an attack on the Roman Catholic Church and religious freedom. He suggested forcing authorities to crack down on those who don't comply.

The Catholic Cuccinelli said he had spoken to a bishop who suggested he'd go to jail to protest it. Cuccinelli said he told the bishop, "Don't take this personally _ you need to go to jail."