https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-judge-texas-overturns-
mandates-cover-drugs-prevent-hiv-infecti-rcna46669

The lawsuit challenged a provision of the Affordable Care Act that
required free coverage of the HIV drugs Truvada and Descovy, commonly
known as PrEP.

A federal judge in Texas has ruled that a provision of the Affordable Care
Act that mandates free coverage of certain drugs that prevent HIV
infections violates the religious beliefs of a Christian-owned company.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O�Connor came in response to a
lawsuit filed by Jonathan Mitchell, a former Texas solicitor general and a
conservative activist, on behalf of Braidwood Management Inc. and other
self-described Christian employers and employees.

The 2020 lawsuit challenged a provision of the ACA that required free
coverage of the HIV drugs Truvada and Descovy, commonly known as PrEP,
that hundreds of thousands of people in America � mostly gay and bisexual
men � take.

O'Connor sided with Braidwood Management.

"Defendants do not show a compelling interest in forcing private,
religious corporations to cover PrEP drugs with no cost-sharing and no
religious exemptions," the judge ruled.

HIV prevention groups were quick to decry O'Connor's ruling as a "terrible
judicial decision."

�This ruling is shocking on every level,� said Mitchell Warren, executive
director of the HIV nonprofit AVAC. �It defies evidence, logic, public
health and human rights and sets back enormous progress in the fight to
end the HIV epidemic."

PrEP is a "core component" in the fight against the spread of HIV, he
said.

Shelly Skeen, a senior attorney at Lambda Legal, predicted the federal
government would appeal the decision and warned it could embolden other
employers to file similar suits.

"It's a disappointing decision because it has broader implications for
harm for folks that are just trying to work and live and access health
care," Skeen said.

O�Connor, an appointee of former President George W. Bush who has called
the ACA unconstitutional, has in recent years become the go-to judge for
conservatives seeking to challenge Obamacare provisions and measures aimed
at protecting transgender students and enforcing Covid vaccine mandates.

Mitchell is best known as the architect behind a Texas law that encourages
people to file lawsuits against those suspected of helping women get
abortions. He did not immediately respond to an email from NBC News
seeking comment.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Gilead Sciences� antiretroviral
tablet Truvada for use as PrEP in 2012. Daily use of the tablet reduces
the risk of acquiring HIV by more than 99% among men who have sex with
men, and by at least 90% among women.

The FDA approved a second tablet from Gilead, Descovy, for use as PrEP in
2019.

In 2019, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force granted PrEP what�s known
as an �A rating,� which under the ACA means that the vast majority of
insurers were required to cover it for free starting in January 2021.

Nevertheless, recent analyses indicate that the nation�s insurers are not
all adhering to this policy. And this has raised concerns among public
health experts that such out-of-pocket costs will inhibit the use of PrEP.

�Increasing PrEP access in the United States has been a key public health
goal, and the requirement that private insurers provide PrEP with no cost-
sharing was a key way in which access has been promoted,� said Jennifer
Kates, director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family
Foundation. �However, this latest ruling would re-introduce a barrier that
would result in less access, as fewer individuals would be able to afford
this critical intervention.�

In their lawsuit, some of Mitchell's clients also objected to having to
buy health insurance that also covers "contraception, the HPV vaccine, and
the screenings and behavioral counseling for STDs and drug use."

"They say neither they nor their families require such preventive care,"
the judge wrote in his ruling. "They also claim that compulsory coverage
for those services violates their religious beliefs by making them
complicit in facilitating homosexual behavior, drug use, and sexual
activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman."

--
"LOCKDOWN", left-wing COVID fearmongering. 95% of COVID infections
recover with no after effects.

No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.

Donald J. Trump, cheated out of a second term by fraudulent "mail-in"
ballots. Report voter fraud: sf.nancy@mail.house.gov

Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.