Federal judge in Texas rules in favor of a company that denies coverage of life-saving HIV drugs
ust when you think it couldn’t get any worse for Americans who have bodies—from denying access to reproductive care for pregnant people and attacking trans folks at every turn—now a Texas judge is deciding which drugs people can get based on the religious views of the company that employs them.
The Dallas Morning News reports Wednesday that U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled in favor of Braidwood Management Inc. as it challenged the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandate for coverage of Gilead Science’s Truvada and Descovy, commonly known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs. PrEP is prescribed to hundreds of thousands of Americans to prevent HIV/AIDS.
As first reported by Politico in July, a group of Texas residents, employers, and supporters of former President Donald Trump launched the suit, citing a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The group argued that obliging businesses to pay for plans that cover STD screenings and HIV prevention drugs will “facilitate and encourage homosexual behavior, prostitution, sexual promiscuity, and intravenous drug use.”
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/8/2121592/-Federal-judge-in-Texas-rules-in-favor-of-a-company-that-denies-coverage-of-life-saving-HIV-drugs
