Today a judge out of a federal district court in Fort Worth, TX ruled unlawful the nationwide requirement for insurance companies to cover a range of preventive services, found that insurance coverage of PrEP violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and a number of other dangerous changes to lifesaving preventive health care that the Affordable Care Act previously protected.
Dr. Jamila Perritt, President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health and ob/gyn in Washington DC responds:
“As a physician, I am appalled at today’s decision. An employer’s religious beliefs should have no place determining whether or not someone can access the personal and private health care they need whether that’s PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), contraception, abortion, or other essential health care services. Access to PrEP medications and HIV treatment are essential, lifesaving components of reproductive health care.
An employer’s religious beliefs should have no place determining whether or not someone can access the personal and private health care they need…
“No matter someone’s sexual activity, identity, or HIV status, all people are deserving of equitable access to reproductive health care, including care that is covered by their insurance provider. People deserve to be able to access health care based on their individual health needs and that care should be accessible and supported by their health care provider of choice. There is no place, ever, for politicians or judges to have a say in these decisions or this access. They are not health care providers.
“We are deeply concerned with judicial actors continuing to maliciously and dangerously insert themselves in our personal health care decisions. It is inappropriate and unacceptable. Especially as state legislators and judges around the country continue to attack our bodily autonomy, we must prioritize protections for those seeking health care services, not create further barriers or reinforce discrimination and bias for those in need of care.”