The acquisition of secular medical centers by financially thriving Catholic hospitals could give rise to a new front in the battle between religious leaders and the government over reproductive-health services, The New York Times says.

About 20 such deals have been struck in the past three years. Experts expect the trend to increase as federal health-care reform forces hospitals to become more efficient, spurring smaller facilities to consolidate with larger institutions, many of them faith-affiliated.

Seattle’s Swedish Health Services agreed to stop providing elective abortions when it merged this month with Providence Health & Services, a Catholic system. In December, Gov. Steve Beshear of Kentucky nixed a deal to bring the University of Louisville Hospital under the wing of Catholic Health Initiatives amid uncertainty about whether the public hospital would be required to follow church doctrine on contraceptive services.

Such conflicts come as many religious leaders work to fight a White House mandate that insurance plans at faith-linked nonprofits, including hospitals, offer contraceptive care to female employees. On Monday a group of evangelical clergy joined Roman Catholic bishops in pressing President Obama to reverse the rule, the Associated Press reports.