Texas judge set dangerous PrEP precedent

In the United States, Texas federal judge Reed O’Connor has set a dangerous precedent after ruling that the inclusion of HIV treatments under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, commonly called “Obamacare”) is a violation of religious freedoms. Companies Braidwood Management and Kelley Orthodontics brought the case to the  US District Court, arguing that the inclusion of PrEP under ACA  forces religious companies to finance and endorse homosexual behaviour.

The ruling means that neither company is required to cover PrEP costs for its employees, and could trigger a chain reaction for medical treatment across the US. Ivy Hill, community health program director for the Campaign of Southern Equality, responded, “This ruling is about imposing extreme religious beliefs — not, as it purports, about protecting religious freedom… Far-right extremist judges are attacking privacy and access to health care”.